


Charmed AU: The (First) Wedding of Prudence Halliwell

by Metal_Ox137



Category: Charmed (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-09-15 22:17:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9259874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Ox137/pseuds/Metal_Ox137
Summary: [Series finale] Prue and Andy Trudeau consider getting married, and the Halliwell sisters are forced into a confrontation with the Source of All Evil.





	1. Prelude

"Prue! Prue!" Paige Matthews rushed into her sister's kitchen, in a state of great agitation.  
Dark-haired Prudence Morris, now nine months pregnant with her second child, looked up from a swath of papers and photographs scattered over the dining table. "What's the matter?" she asked her younger sister with concern.  
"The Book of Shadows - it's - it's -" Paige was so flustered she could barely get the words out. "It's writing itself!"  
Prue frowned. "What do you mean, it's writing itself?"  
"I mean, the book was open on our rolltop desk, and words were just appearing on a new blank page - all by themselves!"  
"Oh." Prue grinned. "Yeah. It does that."  
"The book writes its own damn spells now?"  
"No, some _one_ is writing the spell," Prue allowed. "Just someone you can't see."  
"Don't even say that, Prue, I'm freaked out enough as it is. You mean, someone's in the apartment _watching_ me? While Phoebe's away? I'm all alone with a ghost or spook or something worse?"  
"Calm down," Prue laughed, waving her sister to the seat beside her. "Uhh, you'll have to help yourself to some coffee. I'm finding it a little hard to get up these days."  
Paige quickly poured herself a cup of coffee and sidled into the seat nearest her sister.  
"Tell me exactly what you saw," Prue suggested.  
"Well - that was it, really," Paige answered. "I walked into the study to get a book, and I noticed that Phoebe had left the Book of Shadows out on the rolltop desk. She usually leaves it in the bottom drawer of her armoire. I was going to put it away, and then I saw words were being written on one of the pages. Writing as I watched."  
"Did you actually bother to read what was being written?"  
"Uhh, no," Paige admitted. "I just yelped and orbed over here. I guess I was a little spooked."  
"Did it ever occur to you, it might be Phoebe writing that spell?"  
"But she's in her home world, visiting our sisters," Paige objected. "She couldn't send a spell across alternate universes - could she?"  
"Paige, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's never to underestimate Phoebe Halliwell. That girl can do anything she sets her mind to." Prue grinned again, and then added, "Ahh - don't tell her I said that."  
Prue took a sip from her coffee cup. "But you're probably right, I doubt it's Phoebe. Now that the Book of Shadows is restored, one of our ancestors might be writing earlier spells back into it."  
"So it _is_ ghosts."  
"You never know, it could be someone from the future." Prue smiled mischievously. "Maybe one of your future daughters, or granddaughters, is leaving you a message."  
"Gahh!" Paige shuddered. "Stop it, Prue! I came over here to get un-freaked, not to freak out even more!"  
"Relax, Paige," Prue said soothingly. "It's a grimoire. Of course magical things are going to happen when it's around. But we blessed the book, remember? No one but a witch of the Halliwell line can write a spell within its pages, and only people who are good in spirit can so much as even touch it. So whoever your ghost writer is, it's someone friendly, and one of our relatives."  
Paige made an attempt to release her tension with a deep, resigned sigh. "Okay, so it's somebody we know, then."  
"And just because you see the spell being written doesn't mean that person is actually in the room with you. If that were true, you'd most likely see them. You are a witch, you know."  
"So that means the spell is from the future or the past?" Paige asked dubiously.  
Prue shrugged. "Only one way to find out. Go read the spell and see what it says."  
"I think - I'm too scared to go back home yet," Paige confessed.  
"Oh, for goodness' sake, Paige," Prue sighed with a tolerant smile.  
"Come on, Prue, you didn't see it," Paige protested. "It was freaky."  
"It was magic, Paige. And I'm one hundred percent sure it's good magic." She looked at her sister appraisingly. "Look - why don't you orb home, grab the book, and orb back here with it? We'll read the spell together."  
"But what if it's not done writing?"  
"Wait until it stops."  
"I'd rather wait here."  
"Fine. But if you're going to do that, I'm going to put you to work."  
Paige regarded the voluminous pile of papers across the table with a disapproving frown. "What is all this stuff, anyway? I thought you were supposed to be on maternity leave."  
"I am," Prue agreed. "These are sites under consideration for the new London office of Buckland's."  
"You haven't been talking to Rex again, have you?" Paige asked, unable to hide her dismay.  
Prue shook her head. "He's been keeping a low profile. A _very_ low profile, after my baby sister let him know exactly what she thought of him," she chided gently.  
"Hey, I apologized for that," Paige protested.  
"And he accepted your apology. Which, frankly, was unduly gracious of him, considering what it was you did," Prue admonished her sister. "Anyway, this came from one of his associates, another ex-demon who wants to break into the art and auction business."  
"Seriously, is there anybody in your line of work who's, like, a _normal_ person?"  
"Are you implying I'm not normal?" Prue laughed.  
"You know what I mean."  
"We're witches, Paige. Magical forces - for good or evil - naturally gravitate towards us. It's part of who we are-"  
Suddenly, Prue grimaced with pain. "Ow."  
"Contraction?" Paige asked.  
Prue nodded. "Yeah. Damn. That one really hurt."  
"You're not - I mean - it's not time yet, is it?"  
"I don't think so," Prue said uncertainly. "I've been feeling them for a while now-"  
"Jesus, Prue! Why didn't you say anything?"  
"Because they're not very strong yet, and not close toget... _oowwww."_  
Prue winced again, and Paige regarded her sister with concern. "Sure about that, are you? Maybe I should orb you over to the hospital, just in case."  
"Not yet," Prue pleaded, and she relaxed somewhat. "We've had two false alarms already, I'd really rather not make it three."  
"I don't care if it's three hundred," Paige declared. "If my niece is on her way, then I want you in the hospital, surrounded by an army of doctors and nurses."  
"Let's wait a bit, see if it settles. If the baby's really coming, we'll know soon enough."  
"Do you want me to call Phoebe?"  
Prue shook her head. "No, she's had so little time to spend back home. Let her enjoy herself. She'll have plenty of auntie duties before she knows - uh, oh."  
"What is it?"  
"My water just broke."  
Paige's eyes went wide. "Oh. Oh, that means we need to go, now."  
"Yes, it does," Prue sighed.  
"Where's your hospital bag?"  
"In my bedroom closet."  
Paige leapt up from her seat and scurried away, returning a few moments later with a small suitcase. She looked in dismay at the water that was trickling down from the seat, slowly pooling underneath Prue's chair.  
"Oh, jeez," she murmured.  
"Paige, it's fine, we can clean it up later," Prue said. "Help me up, please."  
"Okay, sis, hold on tight," Paige declared, pulling Prue to her feet and holding her close. "Next stop, maternity ward!"  
And in a flash of sparkling white lights, the two sisters vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

It was an unseasonably warm October day in San Francisco, and when Phoebe Halliwell agreed to accompany her sister Piper to the outdoor market, they needed neither hats nor coats. As they walked along together amongst the crowded stalls, Phoebe made note of the Indian Summer weather, and how it reminded her of that first few days she had spent in another reality, with another Halliwell family. Piper regarded her sister's uncharacteristically introspective mood with concern.  
"You're awfully quiet," she suggested.  
Phoebe came to herself with a rueful grin. "Sorry," she apologized. "I was just - thinking."  
"About what?"  
"Well ... it was almost a year ago today, that I got sucked into that other San Francisco."  
"Ahh," Piper drawled noncommittally.  
"And it was on a day with weather almost exactly like this, when Prue asked me to stay with her."  
"She asked you to stay." Piper sought to clarify.  
"I'd been there a week, maybe a week and a half. We had no magical way of getting me home. And - I think," Phoebe admitted haltingly, "That was probably as scared as I've ever been in my whole life. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do."  
Piper sensed that her baby sister's mood would take a little time to pass. She clasped her sister's hand. "Come on," she ordered.  
"Where are we going?" Phoebe asked, as Piper gently but insistently tugged her away from the street. A few steps away, they entered a small street cafe, with a handful of tables haphazardly arranged on the sidewalk. Piper pushed Phoebe down into one of the empty seats.  
"What's this?" Phoebe asked. "I thought we had shopping to do."  
"We do," Piper agreed, settling herself into the seat across from Phoebe. "But right now, you seem ready to talk. So let's have a lemonade and enjoy ourselves for a few minutes."  
Phoebe smiled gratefully at her sister. "I've really missed you."  
"I've missed you too, Pheebs," Piper rejoined, and, to the waiter who had stepped up to their table, she added, "Can we have two lemonades, please?"  
"Certainly," the young man smiled. "Would you care to look at a menu?"  
"Just leave one," Piper suggested. "We might look at it later." The young man left a laminated paper on the tabletop and hurried away.  
"Go on with what you were saying," Piper coaxed.  
"Well, it's just, I was feeling-" Phoebe paused for a moment, as vivid memories of that day washed over her. "Alone. Scared. Really scared. I was sitting next to this woman who was my sister, but she was also a complete stranger. I can't even begin to tell you how weird that was." Phoebe's gaze shifted away from the middle distance, and she focused on her sister with a somber smile. "I was so scared, I couldn't even think about it at the time, let alone admit it to myself."  
Piper said nothing, simply making the barest nod of her head to indicate she had given her full attention to Phoebe.  
"Prue was kind to me," Phoebe said thoughtfully. "Welcoming. Everything she said and did was meant to put me at ease. And it worked," she added, still marveling at the memory. "Her sister Phoebe was a literal demon. She had every right to be terrified of me. Or want nothing to do with me. Instead, she took me into her home, clothed me, fed me, hugged me and told me how happy she was to see me. Made me family."  
Phoebe's voice was steady, but her eyes were tearing slightly. "And it was a day like this one - warm, like summer - we cleaned out the spare room in her apartment, and turned it into my bedroom. Then we sat on the porch and talked. It was-" Phoebe paused for a moment, considering. "From that moment on, she was my lifeline. My anchor. She saved me, Piper. I mean that. I wouldn't be alive right now, if it wasn't for her."  
The conversation had a brief pause as the waiter returned with the requested glasses of lemonade.  
"That's all we need for now," Piper told him with a smile. "We'll wave if we'd like something else."  
The waiter grinned and hurried away.  
"Your Prue sounds quite remarkable," Piper allowed, taking a quick sip of the sweet, cold liquid.  
"At first, she seemed too good to be true," Phoebe agreed, taking a sip from her own glass. "But she was just as lost without her family as I was without mine."  
Piper thought that over for a moment, and then nodded in solemn agreement. "As Prue and I were lost without you."  
Phoebe smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry, Piper. I never meant to hurt you."  
"I know that."  
"I had no idea what I was doing, I was just floundering."  
"Phoebe - it's okay," Piper said reassuringly. "You're here now. You're home. And now that we can see you whenever we want, it's not a big deal if you live out of town. Besides," she added with a sly grin, "There are some things I like about your San Francisco. It's a lot quieter, for one thing."  
"No kidding," Phoebe laughed.  
"And I have to admit, I kind of like the fact you don't have to live in the witch closet there. Every time I have to cover up my magical tracks here, I like the idea more and more."  
"You're always welcome to visit," Phoebe said. "You - you can even stay, if you want," she added shyly.  
Piper grinned. "That's more tempting an offer than you might think," she admitted. "But I think - at least for right now - Prue, Paige and I are going to make a go of things here."  
"Well, since you and Leo are joined at the hip ... is he ever going to propose?"  
Piper's only response was a wide smile, and Phoebe's eyes bulged. "Piper-!"  
"He hasn't proposed yet," Piper laughed, holding up a hand. "But - we've had some serious talks about starting a family. Very serious talks," she added. "So it's just a case of when, not an if."  
"Piper, I'm so happy for you," Phoebe gushed.  
"Thanks. I am happy," Piper agreed thoughtfully, taking another sip of lemonade. The cool liquid was singularly refreshing as they sat in the warm sun. "Leo and me - it feels good. It feels right."  
"And how about Prue?"  
Piper's megawatt smile returned. "Well... she's only staying in town this weekend because you're here. She and Andy have been having romantic get-aways every weekend for probably the last three months."  
"That's wonderful!"  
"And I gotta tell you, when our big sister has sex on a regular basis, she's a hell of a lot easier to deal with," Piper confided, and then they both burst out into peals of good-natured laughter.  
"So, how serious are they?" Phoebe asked, after she taken another sip from her glass.  
"I think - they might be just as serious as Leo and me."  
"Really."  
"Yup."  
"I never imagined Prue ever getting married, or having kids," Phoebe confessed. "It just seemed - I don't know. She was always too picky, too-"  
"Bitchy?" Piper suggested with a knowing grin.  
"I wasn't going to say that," Phoebe protested. "She's - I don't know - she always seemed to prefer work to people."  
"She's an introvert," Piper shrugged. "And a fiercely intelligent one at that. I don't know that it isn't that much harder for her to do the ordinary things you and I take for granted."  
"Oh, come on, Piper."  
"No, I mean it," Piper insisted. "You never have to work at socializing. You just do it. You're the classic yellow personality. You can just walk into a room, and declare, 'Okay, I'm here now, the party can start.' "  
"Guilty," Phoebe laughed.  
"Prue can't do that. Even when she likes somebody, she has to work at it. Work at connecting. I think she's had a much harder time just getting through life than we have."  
"She was all work and no play all the way through college," Phoebe agreed, thinking back.  
"Exactly. And now, for the first time, it's like the shackles are off. She's comfortable with herself, with her job, with her boyfriend. She can just be herself. She's loosened up a lot."  
"That's great to hear."  
"You can see for yourself, when we get home tonight," Piper promised.  
"And how about Paige?"  
"She took to having Prue's power like a duck to water. Now she's completely gung ho about being a witch."  
"Well, that's a relief," Phoebe giggled.  
"She practices potions in the kitchen almost every afternoon. She pulls me and Prue in a lot, too. Pushing us to embrace our witchiness." They both laughed heartily.  
"How's Prue handling being a White Lighter?"  
"That's the real surprise. She seems to be fine with it."  
"She doesn't have any charges of her own, does she?"  
"Not yet. But she shadows Leo a lot, kind of taking apprenticeship from him. He says she's doing great."  
"I have to admit, I never imagined our big sister with a halo and wings," Phoebe declared in all seriousness.  
"The world did get kind of seriously weird, didn't it?" Piper agreed.  
"But at least now it's a good weird," Phoebe countered. "I can't get over how blessed I am. Now I have two sets of sisters."  
"And none of us can live without you," Piper grinned.  
Phoebe leaned forward, took Piper's hand in her own and squeezed it gently.  
"I can't live without _you,"_ she declared solemnly.  
They sat in companionable silence, sipping their lemonade, while the fragility of their emotions settled.  
"So, vanquish any demons lately?" Phoebe asked, after they had languished for a time.  
"We cleaned out a nest of Grimlocks last week," Piper answered, with a moue of distaste.  
"Sorry, what?"  
"Grimlocks. I'm guessing you haven't run across any of those yet."  
"What are they?"  
"Sewer dwelling scumbags that steal the eyesight of little kids."  
"Eww!" Phoebe grimaced with revulsion.  
"And they're ugly, too," Piper shuddered at the memory. "But - other than that - it's been pretty quiet."  
"Really? No demons at all?"  
"I'm not complaining," Piper declared.  
"I was just wondering - have you heard anything about - Cole?"  
"Cole?" Piper frowned, and her frown deepened as she realized who Phoebe was talking about. She groaned in dismay. "Phoebe, please tell me you're not still hung up on that demon ... are you?"  
"I am NOT 'hung up' on him," Phoebe protested.  
"You could fool me."  
"I was just - curious."  
"Uh huh," Piper retorted dryly. "Pheebs, he might look nice in a suit, but he's still a soul-sucking demon from Hell."  
"I know, I know," Phoebe sighed.  
"Do you?" Piper asked pointedly.  
"YES," Phoebe declared whole-heartedly.  
"I thought maybe things had cooled off a little between you and Kai," Piper suggested with a mischievous smile. "Since you seem to have so much time to ponder about demons."  
Phoebe's giggle was more than slightly carnal. "No cooling off with my fireman," she declared.  
"Well, that's good to hear."  
"Is Paige seeing anyone?"  
"She's been dating a cute little redhead for about a month now. Not sure if it's serious yet. And your Paige is still engaged to - what's his name? Henry?"  
"Henry Mitchell. Yup. That's him. Still happily spoken for, and they're seriously talking about a June wedding." Phoebe grinned. "So you and Prue really need to step it up," she teased gently.  
"Yeah, yeah," Piper drawled. "And your Prue's due any time?"  
"She's big as a house," Phoebe declared. "I thought for sure it was gonna be a boy. But the ultrasound doesn't lie. Another baby girl," she grinned.  
"So another 'P' name to come up with?"  
"Patricia and Penelope are among the front-runners. No final decision yet, though." Her grin turned slyly wicked. "And what 'P' names have you and Leo picked out for your first daughter?"  
"All right, that's enough," Piper waved her hands as if shooing a fly. "If you're gonna be like that, Pheebs, we might as well get some shopping done. Come on, let's go."  
As they got up to leave, Piper left some money on the table to pay for their drinks; as Phoebe looked up, she glanced into the crowd, and some little distance away, a handsome man in a dark suit was looking intently at her, a quiet smile playing about his lips.  
Cole Turner.  
Phoebe gasped with surprise.  
"Pheebs, what is it?" Piper asked. "Having a premonition?"  
"No, I -" Phoebe looked back towards the crowd, but the figure had vanished. She scanned the moving throng not only with her eyes, but with her magical senses. There was nothing.  
"Phoebe, what is it?" Piper asked with concern.  
Phoebe shook her head, as if to clear it. "It's - nothing, Piper. Damn. I thought I saw-" she gave her head another brief shake, this time in negation. "No. It's nothing."  
"You sure?"  
Phoebe forced herself to look at her sister and smile. "Yeah. False alarm. Come on. Let's go get stuff for dinner tonight."  
Reassured, Piper headed back out onto the crowded sidewalk. Before Phoebe joined her, she scanned desperately again where she had just seen the malevolent figure of Cole Turner. But there remained nothing before either her eyes or magical senses. Phoebe stood for a moment, pondering; then she hurried after her sister, a worried frown lingering on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

"Pheeble!"  
Tall, willowy, flame-haired Paige Matthews reached out for her sister Phoebe, giving her an exuberant hug and an effusive kiss on the cheek. "Oh, honey, it's so good to see you!" She let out a triumphant war whoop. "The power of four is rocking the house tonight, baby!"  
Phoebe and Piper had just returned from the market, entering the foyer of Halliwell manor, their arms laden down with bags full of vegetables, fruits, bread and cheeses.  
"I think she's happy you're here," Piper drawled, and Paige immediately gave her other sister a tight hug, lest she think she was being excluded from the joyful welcome.  
Phoebe glanced around the entryway with a smile. "Good to be home," she agreed.  
"What's that you've got?" Paige demanded excitedly, grabbing at one of the bags in Piper's hands. "Let me see!"  
"Ah-ah! Hands off!" Piper pulled the bag away playfully. "If you want to see, go in the kitchen!"  
The sisters made their way into the kitchen area, where Phoebe and Piper set the heavy bags on the butcher block counter. Piper frowned in puzzlement at the bare space.  
"What, no potions today?" she asked Paige.  
Paige smiled. "I knew you needed the kitchen for cooking, so I kept the island clear. But I've been working on a new spell," she added quickly. "Can I show you?"  
"Later," Piper pleaded, and Paige grinned delightedly. "Paige is our Super-Witch," she explained for Phoebe's benefit.  
"Super-witch in training," Paige clarified, still grinning ear to ear.  
"She's determined to make all her big sisters look like slackers."  
"That's not true," Paige protested. "I just want my big sisters to know _I'm_ not a slacker."  
"Trust me, Paige, if you're ever not pulling your weight around here, you'll be the first to know," Piper promised.  
"Where's Prue hiding?" Phoebe asked.  
"Oh, she and Andy will be off somewhere," Piper demurred.  
"Banging each other's brains out," Paige added, as she started pulling items out of the shopping bags.  
"Paige!" Piper barked in remonstration.  
"Well ... they are," Paige protested in a meek voice. "I'm not wrong, am I?"  
Piper relented with a smile. "Probably not," she agreed. "They'll show up in time for dinner, I'm sure."  
"Trying to straighten her dress and combing out her hair," Paige giggled.  
"What?" Phoebe laughed.  
"Seriously," Paige assured her. "Prue is always so - fastidious," she searched for the right word. "And now she'll come in all disheveled after she and Andy have been together. I tease her about it, and she just smiles, like it's no big deal."  
"Oh, no way," Phoebe protested. "Not Prue. Can't be."  
"It's true," Paige vowed, putting a hand over her heart. "I swear it's true. Wait and you can see for yourself."  
Phoebe turned to Piper. "Hey, don't look at me, I'm not Prue's makeup lady," Piper declared.  
"Is Leo joining us for dinner too?" Phoebe asked, still laughing.  
"He'd better be," Piper said, taking a huge baguette from one of the paper sacks. "LEO!" She called in a surprisingly loud voice.  
"Seriously. You just shout Leo's name, and he comes running?"  
"Yup," Piper nodded.  
"Orbing from who knows where?"  
"Yup."  
"No matter where he is?"  
"No matter where he is," Piper said proudly.  
Phoebe giggled. "Do you make him wear a dog collar, too?"  
Before Piper could retort, a sparkling circle of bright lights indicated the arrival of Leo Wyatt. The handsome young man seemed to simply materialize out of the light, which diffused and vanished behind him as he entered. He smiled warmly as he caught sight of Phoebe.  
"Hey, Phoebe, welcome home," he greeted her.  
Phoebe gave him a quick hug. "Hi, Leo. Good to see you. Are you taking care of my sister?"  
"Doing my best," Leo promised.  
"Hey, honey," Piper cooed, falling into his arms. "Done running around saving the world?"  
"Almost," Leo grinned, hugging Piper tightly and giving her a quick kiss. "One more errand and then I'm free for the afternoon. Why? Do you need me to pick up something while I'm out?"  
"Nope," Piper assured him. "But my sister's in town for the entire weekend, so as long as there are no demons to vanquish, I thought we could have some quality family time." She kissed him again, more passionately. "And you _are_ family."  
"So when are you guys getting married?" Phoebe asked. It was a tactless question, but she sincerely wanted to know.  
Leo grinned sheepishly at Phoebe, and then looked at Piper.  
"We, ahh, haven't set a date yet," he confessed.  
Piper raised a playful eyebrow. "Oh, so you are going to marry me, then."  
The banter would have continued, but the front door opened, and Phoebe and Paige peeked around the corner to see their eldest sister, Prue Halliwell, entering the foyer.  
"You two, freeze yourselves," Phoebe admonished Piper and Leo. "I want to hear the rest of this. Right after we get Prue in here to be a witness."  
Prue was hanging up her coat as Phoebe and Paige scampered over to greet her. The eldest Halliwell sister was uncharacteristically rumpled. Her dress had several deep creases in it, as if she'd slept in her clothes, and her long dark hair hung in great uncombed tangles, making a decidedly unkempt lion's mane around her face. She gave them a weary but happy smile.  
"Hey, Pheebs. Welcome home," she said, greeting Phoebe with a quick hug.  
"Thanks, Prue. Good to see you," Phoebe answered, returning the hug.  
"Where's Andy?" Paige asked. "Isn't he coming?"  
"He'll be by in time for dinner. He had to drop off some stuff for Darryl," Prue said somberly. "I asked if I could help, but I think they need some male bonding time."  
"Oh, no," Paige murmured.  
Phoebe glanced from one sister to the other, the implications of their words slowly becoming clear.  
"Oh, crap. Darryl and Sheila are really going through with the divorce?" she asked, dismayed.  
"Sure looks like it," Prue sighed. "Darryl's moved out, into his own place."  
"Oh, God, that's terrible."  
"Nothing we can do about it," Prue shrugged sadly.  
"Can't we, I don't know, do something magical about it?" Paige asked.  
"Love _is_ magic, Paige. And once that spell is broken, forcing couples back together isn't always the wisest thing to do."  
"Isn't there anything we can do to help?"  
"I told Darryl earlier, if there was any way we could help, all he had to do was ask. But if he doesn't ask soon, I suppose we could try making a nuisance of ourselves."  
"I'll bake him a care package," Piper offered, walking up and joining the conversation.  
"That's a great idea," Prue agreed. "I'm just wondering if we shouldn't do something for Sheila, too."  
"Yeah, we care about both of them," Phoebe nodded. "I hate the idea of having to pick a side."  
"His and hers care packages?" Paige suggested hesitantly.  
"Maybe," Prue stifled a yawn. "We should definitely think about it. Anyway, if you ladies don't need me for anything right this minute, I'm going to take a power nap, then clean myself up before dinner."  
"I thought you slept over at Andy's," Phoebe grinned.  
"I did," Prue gave her sister a tired smile. "We just didn't do a lot of sleeping." Her smile turned distinctly carnal. "By the way, Phoebe, I thought I would spend the weekend with Andy, so you can take my room, instead of sleeping on the couch."  
"Prue, you don't need to do that for me," Phoebe objected.  
"And we want you here for breakfast," Piper seconded.  
"I promise, we'll be on time, for breakfast tomorrow and church on Sunday," Prue vowed, holding up a palm of her hand as if taking a pledge.  
"Phoebe could bunk with me," Paige offered. "The bed's more than big enough for two people."  
"Guys, I don't want to be any trouble," Phoebe protested.  
"It's no trouble, Phoebe, I promise," Prue smiled. "Besides, I just don't see any need to keep the rest of you up all night. I know how sound carries in this house."  
Phoebe grinned delightedly. "You and Andy are really getting serious, huh?"  
"Yeah," Prue admitted with a shyly lustful smile.  
"Prue, that's wonderful."  
"Yeah," Prue said again, almost dreamily. "It is. All right. Five and a half winks, and I'll see you guys in about an hour."  
She turned to head up the stairs.  
Paige gave Phoebe a playful nudge with her elbow. "Go on," she whispered.  
"Hey, Prue," Phoebe called after her big sister. "Your hair looks like a rat's nest."  
Prue simply grinned and ran her fingers through her tousled ebony locks. "Yeah," she agreed placidly. "Haveta fix that." She turned then hurried up the stairs. Phoebe stared after her in open-mouthed astonishment.  
"Wow."  
"Toldjya," Paige laughed.  
Before entering her bedroom, Prue detoured into the upstairs bathroom. She closed the door behind her, then leaned heavily on the countertop, staring at her herself in the mirror. Her expression slowly changed into one of acute worry.  
"You have to tell her," she told her reflection sternly. 

* * *

About an hour and a half later, Prue returned to the kitchen, much refreshed after a short nap and change of clothes, her long black hair more or less combed into temporary submission. She noted Piper and Paige bustling around the kitchen, almost balletic in their energy and grace as they worked together in near-perfect tandem preparing the evening meal. "Well, looks like you two have everything in order," she commented.  
"Hush," Paige shushed her playfully and pointed at Piper. "Genius at work."  
Prue grinned, and touched Phoebe's shoulder. "Can I have a word?" she whispered in her sister's ear.  
"Sure."  
As they walked out into the foyer, Prue nodded towards the stairwell. "Let's go up to my room," she suggested. "You can help me put fresh sheets on the bed."  
Once in Prue's room, Phoebe perched herself at the foot of the bed. Prue closed the door.  
"Is this going to be one of those serious sisterly talks?" Phoebe asked.  
"Something like that," Prue agreed, sitting on the bed beside her.  
"What's up?"  
A dark cloud of worry crossed Prue's face. "Phoebe... I had a premonition yesterday. About you."  
"Me?" Phoebe asked. "Man, this is so weird. I don't think I'm ever going to get used to us having the same power."  
"Phoebe, this is important."  
"Sorry," Phoebe apologized, giving her sister her full attention.  
Prue sighed deeply, trying to decide where to begin. "I think you know, when I first received the power of premonition, the very first vision I saw was Belthazor trying to seduce you to evil."  
Phoebe nodded solemnly. "Paige told me."  
"At the time, I thought it was a false vision, because I hadn't learned how to control the power. But now - I think it was on the level."  
Phoebe frowned. "Why do you think that?"  
"Because I had the very same vision again, last night."  
Phoebe began to sense an odd disquiet stirring in the pit of her stomach.  
"Someone or something called 'The Source' was pledging Belthazor to our destruction," Prue continued.  
"Wait, you mean, as in, The Source of All Evil?" Phoebe asked.  
"Yes, that's it. You _know_ this demon?"  
"In the other San Francisco, Phoebe Halliwell _was_ that demon," Phoebe muttered grimly.  
"Oh, my God," Prue said, shocked. "She wasn't just an evil witch, then."  
"The Source is a title - whoever holds it is kind of like the King, or Queen, of Hell."  
Prue pursed her lips. "Phoebe, I think we're in real danger," she confided in a voice barely above a whisper, even though they were alone. "And I think you are in more danger than anyone else."  
Phoebe began to feel distinctly uneasy. She shifted herself on the bed uncomfortably.  
"Have you sensed anything at all, since you've been home?" Prue asked.  
Phoebe looked at her sister, with an expression of dismay on her face.  
"Phoebe, tell me, please."  
"I - thought it was nothing," Phoebe sighed sadly. "Now, maybe - I'm not so sure."  
"What was it?"  
"I saw him. Cole. I mean, Belthazor," Phoebe grimaced as she corrected herself.  
"You _saw_ him?" Prue asked, her eyes growing wide with alarm.  
"I thought I did. Just a glimpse, just for a moment."  
"You're sure it was him?"  
"Positive." Phoebe nodded. "But it was only for a split-second."  
"When was this?"  
"Today. At the market. Piper and I stopped off at a cafe, and as we were leaving, I spotted him in the crowd. I barely had time to blink, and he was gone."  
"What was he doing?"  
Phoebe made a face. "Well, nothing, really. He was just standing a few feet away from us. He was looking at me." She hesitated. "He was smiling."  
"Did you sense anything magical? Anything demonic?"  
"I scryed as soon as I saw him," Phoebe answered. "As far as my senses could reach. But there was nothing, Prue. Nothing at all. I decided maybe I was seeing things."  
"Or maybe Belthazor really was there, and he masked himself from your senses somehow."  
Phoebe shrank into herself, eyes downcast, feeling something close to true despair.  
"Whatever he wants with you, we need to figure it out," Prue said. "Before he can carry out whatever it is he's planning."  
Prue regarded her baby sister with concern. Phoebe looked as if she was about to burst into tears.  
"Phoebe, what is it?" she asked quietly.  
Phoebe looked up at her sister, eyes wide and very sober. "Prue ... am I evil?"  
Prue stared at Phoebe in utter confusion. "What?"  
"Am I always going to be the sister who succumbs to the temptation of demons?"  
Prue could barely suppress a snort of derision. "Oh, come on, Pheebs."  
"No, I mean it," Phoebe pleaded. "Am I just destined to be a terrible person? Someone who is going to be a destroyer of people I love? Not a good person. Not a healing person."  
"Phoebe, where on earth is this coming from?"  
Phoebe let out a ragged sigh, then she swallowed hard. "The other Phoebe - she ... she was a soul in darkness," she said finally. "She was genuinely evil."  
"Yes, she was. But you're not her," Prue declared flatly.  
"No," Phoebe agreed reluctantly. "But -" she wrung her hands helplessly. "Sometimes I feel that same pull, you know? My mind goes to dark places. A lot. More than I like to admit," she confessed.  
"Phoebe, we all have some aspects of evil within us."  
"Not like this." Phoebe drew herself up in her seat. "The other Phoebe said we were one and the same person, only she had the courage to be her true self, and I didn't. And sometimes, I think she was right-"  
"Stop," Prue commanded in her most authoritative voice. "Phoebe, just stop. You're not evil. Don't be ridiculous."  
"Don't you remember the woogeyman?"  
"But you beat the woogeyman, Phoebe."  
Phoebe shook her head. "I had to fight him. It took everything I had. I barely made it."  
"You chose good. You chose your family."  
"You don't understand." Phoebe was pleading now. "When the woogeyman sucked me in, I didn't even try to fight. Being evil felt natural. It felt - right. I _liked_ how I felt. And I had to fight everything I liked about myself, just to get away."  
"Phoebe -"  
"Prue - I'm _scared,"_ Phoebe said, her voice shaking. "I saw what happened to the other Phoebe. How malevolent she was. How empty and hateful. She destroyed her entire family. Without hesitation. And without regret. And sometimes I think it would take no effort at all, for me to end up the same way-"  
Prue quickly took her sister's hands in hers and clasped them tightly. "Listen to me," she murmured. "You are _not_ an evil person. Just the fact that you have the awareness to question yourself like this proves it. You have a conscience, and as long as it pricks you, you have nothing to fear." She smiled reassuringly. "And besides - you have five other sisters on two worlds ready and waiting to keep you on the straight and narrow at all times. You couldn't ask for better guardians than that."  
"But you _do_ think I'm susceptible," Phoebe protested. "You didn't have that premonition for nothing."  
"I am sure that premonition was intended to safeguard you, and us, from evil," Prue countered. "The good in you is stronger than any evil you think you have, Phoebe, I'm sure of that."  
Tears began to well in Phoebe's eyes. "I wish that were true."  
"Hey. I am not going to let anything happen to you, not ever," Prue vowed solemnly. "I love you, Phoebe Halliwell, and I am going to do whatever I have to, to protect you. I promise."  
"But you can't save me from myself," Phoebe said, her voice breaking.  
Prue gave her sister a quiet, reassuring smile. "Wanna bet?"  
She pulled Phoebe close and hugged her. Phoebe accepted the embrace willingly, clinging tightly to her older sister, while hot tears began spilling down her cheeks.

* * *

Saturday morning arrived with the same clear skies and and gentle warmth as Friday, and better still, the forecast declared that Indian Summer conditions would last throughout the weekend. Phoebe Halliwell awoke in her sister's bedroom with a great sense of peace and well-being. The terror of the previous day was completely gone, and in hindsight seemed faintly ridiculous. Prue was right. Phoebe on her own might stumble and fall, but every one of her sisters would be instantly at her side to pick her up, dust her off and make sure she was okay. Even a demonic attack could be dealt with as easily as a skinned knee.  
Phoebe rolled over lazily and stared at the bright sunshine streaming in from the windows. It was impossible not to feel wonderful on such a day. She was home, with her family, and all would be well with the world. And even if it wasn't, Phoebe had complete faith that her sisters could deal with it, even if she couldn't.  
After a quick shower, she dressed casually in simple white blouse, jeans and loafers, and padded downstairs. Piper, as usual, was already preparing breakfast for the entire family, although she seemed to be in a state of mild agitation.  
"Good morning," Phoebe greeted her, taking a mug from the shelf and adding a smallish splash of coffee.  
"Hey, Pheebs. I need a favor," Piper sighed.  
Phoebe took a quick swallow of the hot, bitter liquid. "Sure, what's up?"  
"I thought we had enough buttermilk for the pancakes, but we don't. Would you mind running down to the corner and get some more?"  
"Sure," Phoebe nodded. "I'm probably not going to get any real exercise this weekend, so the walk will do me good. Anybody else up?"  
"I got a call from Prue, she and Andy will be here in about twenty minutes. Leo's off doing some White Lighter thing."  
"But everyone will be here in time for breakfast."  
"If they know what's good for them, they will be," Piper retorted mildly.  
Phoebe grinned and took another sip of coffee. "Paige up yet?"  
"She'll show up two minutes before the food's on the table. Blinking like a sleepy owl. Our baby sister loves to sleep in."  
Phoebe laughed. "Yeah, my Paige does that too. Anything else you need?"  
"Nope, just buttermilk will do fine."  
"Okay." Phoebe set her mug on the dinette. "Be right back."  
"Thanks, sweetie."  
Phoebe stopped in the foyer to grab her jacket off the hook, and checked to make sure she had enough cash for her purchase, then slipped out the front door.  
The early morning air was still bracingly cool, but warming quickly; the weather was going to be postcard perfect. Phoebe quickly hopped down the steep steps of the porch to the sidewalk, and set off for the corner market at a brisk pace. She couldn't help smiling as she walked along. The early golden sunlight washed over everything, and Phoebe reflected that sunny weather really did help for making a sunny disposition.  
She arrived at the market in about five minutes, completed her purchase while making some friendly chatter with the clerk, then she stepped out onto the sidewalk again, readying herself for the steep walk uphill. She glanced over to see a handsome man standing only a few feet away from her; and as she recognized him, Phoebe suddenly felt a deep, icy dread close around her heart.  
Cole Turner looked at her and smiled warmly.  
"Hello, Phoebe," he said politely.


	4. Chapter 4

The sudden appearance of Cole Turner took Phoebe so completely by surprise that it took all her presence of mind not to drop the buttermilk she was carrying. The demon smiled at her, but not malevolently; he seemed genuinely happy to see her.  
"You look well," Turner said, apparently wishing to start a conversation.  
"You look alive," Phoebe rejoined, every bit as eager to withdraw from that conversation.  
"That surprises you?"  
"Well, since my sister plunged an athame through your heart, I thought, yeah, we might not hear from you again."  
Turner's smile was now tinged with chagrin, and his answer was almost apologetic. "I have evil to protect me," he explained. "And there is nothing more powerful."  
Her momentary fright passed, Phoebe regarded Turner more closely. He was well camouflaged as a mortal, wearing a light windbreaker, collared shirt, slacks and loafers, looking for all the world like a well-to-do man in his early thirties. He also stood peculiarly, stiffly upright, making no movement of his body whatsoever, and he leaned ever so slightly on an ornate cane on his left side.  
"You're not healed, Cole. And I don't need my magical senses to see that you haven't fully recovered from your wound."  
Turner glanced down at his walking stick, then smiled almost sheepishly. It was the first discernible movement of his head or body that he'd made.  
"I'll be completely healed soon enough," he assured her.  
"I'm sorry to hear that."  
"Are you?" Turner asked pointedly. "I'm not sorry to see you. But you've been... away."  
"Yes, I have," Phoebe nodded. There didn't seem to be any point in concealing that information.  
"You know, I've scryed for you," Turner said matter-of-factly. "And one of the things I find most intriguing is, when you're not here, with your sisters, you vanish completely."  
"Is that so," Phoebe said coldly.  
"You're no place on heaven or earth - or hell," Turner mused. "Where is it you go, I wonder, that no magical power on the planet can find you?"  
"That's none of your business."  
Turner shrugged as if the matter of no importance. "Fine. I'll find out eventually. But that must be one powerful spell you're casting, to disappear so completely. It's almost as if you have the ability to take yourself out of this reality altogether."  
"What do you want, Cole?"  
"Just to talk."  
"I have nothing to say to you."  
"But I have something I want to say to you. I came to give you a warning."  
Phoebe regarded the demon suspiciously. None of her empathic or precognitive gifts were sending out alarm bells. Whatever Turner's motives, he was apparently sincere.  
"I'm listening," she allowed, guardedly.  
"The Source knows that you now have the power of four. That frightens him."  
"He should be frightened."  
"You don't understand, Phoebe. When you arouse a demonic force that powerful, there will be consequences - terrible consequences."  
"Get to the point, Cole."  
"The Source believes that you and your sisters can permanently tip the scales in favor of good in the world."  
"And this is a bad thing?"  
"I'm serious, Phoebe. He will do anything he has to, to prevent that imbalance from happening."  
"Don't even start with that light and dark crap," Phoebe growled. "Evil doesn't care about any 'balance'. It just wants to consume everything there is, until there's nothing left."  
"I'm trying to warn you what evil may do, when it acts out of self-preservation," Turner pleaded.  
"Demons have threatened us before."  
"Not like this, they haven't. Phoebe - he's not going to allow you or your sisters to live. You're the ones who are that much of a threat. If you don't come over to evil of your own free will, the Source is going to destroy you. All of you."  
Phoebe swallowed hard. Her empathic gift assured her that Cole's plea was real, and his concern for her safety genuine.  
"You really believe The Source is going to kill us all."  
"He can do it, Phoebe, I promise. He has the power. But that doesn't have to happen."  
"As long as my sisters and I surrender our powers to evil."  
"You can keep your powers," Turner said. "As long as you're not using them for good."  
"Is that supposed to be some kind of bargain?"  
"I'm trying to save your life, Phoebe."  
"And the Source sent you here, to deliver his message?"  
"No. If the Source knew I was warning you like this, he would destroy me on the spot."  
Phoebe's eyes narrowed. Turner was telling the truth. He sincerely cared for her, and was - after his fashion - attempting to save her from pain and suffering.  
"I can't give up my powers. Or use them for evil. You know that."  
"I also know how much you struggle to stay good."  
"Don't go there, Cole," Phoebe warned.  
"Phoebe, no one is a pure angel. That kind of holiness isn't possible for human beings. I told you before, demons only exist because we feed off the evil of mankind. It's not something you can avoid. It's a fundamental part of who you are. Your need to hate, to do harm, is as central to your existence as breathing. You can't live without it."  
"That is _so_ not true -"  
"It _is_ true," Turner insisted. "The mere fact that I'm standing here proves that it's true." He sighed deeply, and regarded Phoebe with a look of genuine concern. "Look, you don't have to believe me. What's important is that you understand you're in real danger. You, and your sisters. I don't want to see anything happen to you, Phoebe. Please. Surrender your powers. Or at least declare your intent to use them for evil. Before something truly bad happens."  
Phoebe felt a deep shudder run down her spine. "I - need to talk to my sisters," she faltered.  
"Then talk to them. And when you've made your decision, call me."  
_"Call_ you?"  
"Just say my name out loud." Turner's voice had softened, becoming almost tender. "No matter where I am, I'll hear you."  
With a sudden shimmer, the demon vanished from Phoebe's sight.  
"And that's supposed to comfort me how, exactly?" Phoebe shouted angrily, but her voice carried only into empty air; Turner was gone.  
"Damn it," Phoebe muttered angrily to herself. Deeply shaken, she turned on her heel to begin the walk back to the manor. Just in front of her, her sister Prue suddenly materialized out of a cascading swirl of bright white lights.  
"GAAAHHH!" Phoebe yelped in surprise, taking a step back. "Jesus, Prue! You scared the crap out of me!"  
Phoebe's eldest sister was clad only in a dark blue terrycloth bathrobe, and her long dark hair was once again a tangled mess.  
"Phoebe. Thank God," she sighed with relief. "Are you okay?"  
"Prue, what are you doing here?"  
"I had a premonition that Belthazor was after you."  
"He was just here."  
"Then he survived. He's alive."  
"Afraid so."  
"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you?"  
"I'm fine, Prue, really."  
"What happened? What did he want?"  
Phoebe sighed despairingly. "He - he came to warn me."  
"Warn you about what?"  
Phoebe looked at her sister soberly. "That you were right."  
Prue looked at Phoebe with dismay, then pulled her close. "All right. Hang on. We're orbing back to the manor."  
Phoebe snuggled against her sister, and then looked at her with a suspicious frown.  
"Prue, are you wearing anything under that bathrobe?"  
"No."  
"Did I interrupt-"  
"Yes."  
Phoebe grimaced with embarrassment. "Oh. Ouch. Sorry."  
"Worry about it later," Prue declared firmly. In a flash of bright light, the sisters vanished.

* * *

A few minutes later, all the Halliwell sisters, along with Leo Wyatt, were gathered in the living room. Prue had changed into a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, and giving up on her comb for the time being, was busy pulling her long black hair back into a tight ponytail, while Phoebe related Cole's message to everyone.  
"So, I guess we need to find out who or what this 'Source' is," Paige suggested, after Phoebe had finished.  
"It's okay, sweetie, we already know," Phoebe sighed. "The Source is basically the King of the Demons."  
"You mean he's like Lucifer. Satan."  
"No, he's not the Adversary," Leo said. "He's a lesser being, by those standards. But still..."  
The young man paused. He looked frankly worried. "You think Belthazor was telling the truth?"  
"Yes," Phoebe nodded.  
"Demons lie, Phoebe," Paige muttered darkly.  
"Yes, Paige, they do, but not this time," Phoebe answered. "I would have sensed it. I think Cole was telling the truth. He's trying to warn us, before The Source makes any plans to attack us."  
Piper pursed her lips in annoyance. "Will you _please_ stop calling the demon by his first name."  
"For the sake of argument, let's say Phoebe's right, that Belthazor is looking out for us," Prue suggested. "The question is, what do we do now?"  
"And why would he care what happens to us?" Paige asked.  
"Ask little Miss Hot Witch over there," Piper drawled, pointing at Phoebe.  
"Hey, come on, Piper, I did _not_ ask for this."  
Prue waded into the center of the room, hands raised in a silencing gesture. "Guys, guys, enough. We need to think about this. There are two possibilities. The first is, the warning is real, and we've attracted the attention of one of the world's most powerful demons. The second..." she glanced at Phoebe, "...is that the warning is false, and it's Belthazor himself who's setting us up for some kind of trap."  
"So, how can we tell for sure?" Paige asked.  
"Well, in the premonition I had, Belthazor was instructed to seduce Phoebe," Prue mused, thinking aloud. "So maybe the warning is part of a ploy. To get us to trust him. Or at least, not distrust him enough to leave ourselves vulnerable."  
"Demons lie," Paige repeated forcefully.  
"Yes, thank you, Paige, we heard you the first time," Piper sighed.  
Phoebe snapped her fingers and looked up. "I've got it."  
"You think you can find out if Belthazor is telling the truth?" Prue asked hopefully.  
"It's so simple, Prue. We use the truth spell."  
The sisters exchanged glances with one another.  
"Will that work on a demon?" Piper asked dubiously.  
"Why wouldn't it?" Phoebe countered.  
Prue wagged a finger in the air absently, thinking to herself, unaware of the gesture. "This might work," she murmured approvingly. "The spell worked on Hannah. She was a lesser demon, but still-"  
"Who is Hannah?" Paige asked in bewilderment.  
"Shapeshifting demon. Before your time," Piper explained tersely.  
"The real question is, where and when can we spring it on him." Prue looked over at Phoebe.  
Phoebe squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.  
"Well, he did say I could call him any time," she admitted in a small voice.  
"You still have his phone number?" Piper was aghast.  
"Actually, he said all I had to do was speak his name out loud."  
"Oh, God, Phoebe, do you have any idea how _creepy_ that sounds?"  
"Oh, look who's talking," Phoebe retorted angrily.  
"Guys, enough," Prue barked sharply. "We can't bicker amongst ourselves. We have to be together on this." She sat down on the couch beside Phoebe. "So, you can summon Belthazor anywhere, at any time."  
"That's what he told me," Phoebe nodded.  
Prue thought that over for a moment. "I say we bring him here," she suggested.  
"What?" Piper shrieked. "Prue, are you out of your mind?"  
"The manor is the seat of our power. We're stronger here than anywhere else," Prue pointed out. "And we can defend ourselves more effectively here than almost anywhere."  
"You really want to invite a demon into our house?" Paige shuddered.  
"Demons have been all over this house, Paige, it's a nexus for magical power."  
Paige frowned uncertainly. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"  
"Leo, what do you think?" Piper asked.  
"Prue's right," Leo said, but his somber tone of voice indicated the depth of his worry. "You're safer here than anywhere else. I would suggest, though, if you're actually going to bring a demon here, place a protection spell on the house first. And make it the strongest one you can think of."  
"Sisters, are we agreed?" Prue asked, looking at each of her siblings in turn.  
"If it works, then at least we'll know where we stand," Phoebe nodded. "I'm in."  
"Piper?"  
"You guys really want to do this, huh?" Piper sighed morosely.  
"Worst case scenario, Piper, you can always freeze him, until we find some other way to vanquish him," Prue pointed out.  
Piper looked to Leo first, then nodded reluctantly. "Let's make sure we have plenty of vanquishing potions on hand first," she declared.  
Prue smiled grimly. "No argument there." She turned to her youngest sister. "Paige, how about you?"  
"I still get a vote?"  
"Of course you do. This is a family council. Your opinion always matters," Prue assured her.  
Paige sighed and wrung her hands anxiously. "I won't lie, you guys. Even thinking about doing this scares me half to death. But if you think it's the right thing to do, then... I want to help."  
Prue smiled warmly at Paige, she was very proud of her baby sister. "Okay, then. It's settled," she declared. "Let's get ready to play truth or consequences."


	5. Chapter 5

The doorbell rang and Prue immediately got up. "That'll be Andy," she explained, sprinting towards the door. "Be right back."  
Prue opened the front door, and as she had anticipated, her boyfriend Andy Trudeau was standing on the porch, his face set in a worried frown. Without a word, Prue pulled him close and kissed him passionately. Trudeau barely had time to register his surprise, but returned the kiss willingly; Prue released him for only a moment, then kissed him once again. The young detective was not displeased, but somewhat baffled.  
"What was that for?" he asked.  
"That was an apology," Prue smiled.  
"Apology?"  
"For disappearing this morning."  
"Is everything all right?"  
"It is now. Come on in."  
As Prue closed the door behind them, the look of worry returned to Trudeau's face. "I had to admit, when you bolted out of the bedroom, I was a little worried. So it was demon trouble?"  
"Andy, I am so sorry about that," Prue sighed.  
"Prue - if it's an emergency - I get that. I do. It's okay."  
"It's not okay," Prue answered. "It's just, I don't know how to fix it."  
"We'll figure it out," Trudeau said reassuringly, and Prue gave him a grateful smile.  
"You're welcome to stay for breakfast," she invited him. "But I have to warn you, we will be talking about demons."  
Trudeau shrugged. "Anything I can do to help?"  
"Maybe," Prue admitted.  
The sisters were peeking around from the entry to the living room, and Phoebe hurried forward.  
"Hey, Andy," she greeted him. "You're just in time for breakfast."  
"So I hear. What are we having? Deviled eggs?"  
"That's not funny, Andy," Piper groused.  
"Sorry. Look, I guess you guys have demon stuff to deal with. If there's any way I can help, count me in."  
His offer was so sincere that Piper's momentary annoyance melted away. "All right. You can keep him," she murmured in Prue's ear as everyone gravitated towards the dining room. Prue's only response was a radiant smile.  
For the first few minutes, conversation was limited as everyone helped themselves to pancakes, frittatas, fruit and coffee. Prue quickly gave Andy a summary of Cole Turner's reappearance - and his message. As Trudeau listened, his expression became more and more grave.  
"So, let me get this straight," he said finally. "You want to invite a demon into your house, cast a truth spell on him, interrogate him and then just kick him back out onto the street?"  
"Well, we didn't include the kick him in the ass part," Piper demurred, sipping her coffee. "But hey, we're flexible."  
"Are you guys crazy? How do you expect to protect yourselves?"  
"We won't need to," Phoebe spoke up. She had been huddling behind her breakfast plate for some time, uncharacteristically quiet.  
"How do you figure, Phoebe?" Prue asked.  
"You guys ... I know this is hard to accept, but please, trust me. I've been doing this whole empathy thing for a while now. Whatever Cole said to me this morning was on the level. He's trying to help us."  
"For his own ends," Paige fumed.  
"I'm sure that's probably true," Phoebe agreed reluctantly. "But he's not our immediate threat. The Source is."  
"So you're trusting that he will walk in here, answer all your questions, and just walk away again? Without harming any of you?" Trudeau asked incredulously.  
"The spell will compel him to speak truthfully," Prue answered. "And I for one won't trust him any farther than I can throw him."  
"This is not a person we're talking about here, Prue. He's not even a human being. He's a monster."  
"I know that."  
"He's literally torn the heads off other demons, and stuck those heads on pikes."  
"Andy," Prue called him to a halt. "We know what we're dealing with. Trust us. We know better than anyone how dangerous this is." She sighed heavily. "As for protection, we're not planning to invite him, until we have certain safeguards in place. As soon as we're done here, Piper and Paige are going to start work on vanquishing potions. And I'm going to prepare a protection spell for the house."  
"Prue, the last time I saw a demon in your house, he nearly tore the place apart."  
"I know, Andy, that's why we'll be taking serious precautions. Believe me, none of us are anxious to try this. But we're safer here."  
Trudeau settled back in his chair and swallowed his objections; he knew better than to argue with Prue when her mind was made up.  
"Should I call Morris? Ask him to join us?"  
Prue shook her head. "I'd rather we kept this in the family," she said. "For now." She gave him a warm smile, and he took the inference with a growing grin.  
Shortly after breakfast, the sisters retired to their respective workspaces. Piper and Paige confined themselves to the kitchen, where, along with Leo, they began to prepare an exhaustive collection of potions that could be used against demons. Prue and Phoebe retired to the attic, where Prue consulted the Book of Shadows for the best protection spells, and then began to write a new spell with Phoebe's help, combining the best elements of the spells they had reviewed.  
Andy Trudeau watched Prue at her work with both admiration and amazement. Here was a subject he had studied long and hard - something that had been unfortunately necessary for him to learn - but Prue's understanding of the craft was well beyond his comprehension. He could only marvel at her skill, her intelligence, and above all, the fierceness of her desire to protect the people she loved. She was a woman to be reckoned with. And in his own admiration, someone to be cherished, even worshipped.  
When Prue reached a point where she was able to put the finishing touches on the spell unaided, Phoebe tiptoed over to where Trudeau sat, and knelt beside his chair.  
"So, when are you guys getting married?" she whispered.  
For the briefest of moments, Trudeau tore his gaze away from Prue to express surprise at Phoebe's question. "Do you really think Prue wants to marry me?"  
"I think it's time you stopped wondering about what she wants, and just ask her."  
Trudeau nodded thoughtfully, and then gave Phoebe a grateful smile. "I think I will," he whispered back. "Thanks."  
It was late in the afternoon when the Halliwells reconvened downstairs. After a quick lunch of cold sandwiches and vegetable slices, the sisters reviewed each other's work. The collection of vials that Piper and Paige had prepared was quite impressive. For good measure, Prue also brought out the athame she had used to wound Belthazor in their previous meeting. Next, the sisters performed the brief incantation that Prue had prepared to protect the house. Finally, they recited the truth spell.  
"So, when we ask anyone a question, they have to answer truthfully?" Paige asked, when they had finished.  
"Yes, but there's a catch," Prue warned her. "If anyone asks us a question, we have to answer truthfully, too. We'll be magically compelled to do so."  
"Isn't that kind of... dangerous?"  
"The spell wears off in twenty-four hours," Piper assured her. "And once it does, no one will remember what was said."  
"Then how will we know if it worked?" Paige complained.  
"We'll remember, Paige, because we're the witches who cast the spell."  
"Oh." She made a face. "Seems like a pretty stupid loophole to me."  
"Actually, the very best magic spells all contain a built-in backlash," Prue said. "Part of the Wiccan rede is to respect the balance of the natural world above all else. For everything that is taken, something of equal value must be given."  
"Harm none, lest ye be harmed," Paige recited.  
Prue smiled warmly at her baby sister. "Exactly."  
It was nearly dusk when all the preparations were completed. Prue turned to Phoebe.  
"Okay," she sighed deeply, partly from nervousness. "We're as ready as we're ever going to be. Go ahead, Phoebe, and summon Belthazor."  
Phoebe squared her shoulders, and then gave Prue a pleading look. "I feel so stupid doing this," she confessed.  
"Phoebe, just do it."  
"Okay." Taking a deep breath, Phoebe tilted her head upwards slightly.  
"HEY, COLE!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. "Cole Turner! It's me, it's Phoebe Halliwell! I want to talk to you!"  
Piper clapped her hands over her ears. "Geez, Pheebs, did you have to be so loud?"  
"Sorry. I get loud when I'm nervous."  
"We could never tell," Paige deadpanned.  
The doorbell rang, and the sisters looked at each other in puzzlement.  
"That can't be Belthazor ... can it?"  
"Do demons even know how to use doorbells?" Piper asked.  
Phoebe shrugged. "Only one way to find out," she decided. She trotted out into the foyer, her sisters following a few steps behind. Paige clenched a couple of vials of potions in each hand, and Prue held her athame tightly in hers. Leo Wyatt and Andy Trudeau exchanged a terse glance of deep concern and worry.  
Phoebe threw open the door, and standing on the porch was Cole Turner. He was still leaning on his cane, but now impeccably dressed in a dark suit. He smiled warmly.  
"Hello, Phoebe," he greeted her.  
"Cole. Hi," Phoebe said, quite flustered. "We, ah, weren't expecting you to ring the doorbell."  
"You've put a protection spell on the manor," he pointed out. "I can only enter if you invite me."  
"Oh. Yeah. Right. Ahh... won't you come in?"  
Leaning heavily on his walking stick, Turner slowly entered the foyer. Phoebe hadn't actually seen him walking before, and was openly dismayed to see the extent of his debilitation.  
"You _are_ hurt," she exclaimed involuntarily.  
Turner shrugged slightly. "I'll recover."  
"Uhh, I think you already know everyone," Phoebe said awkwardly. "Prue, Piper, Paige - Leo Wyatt - Andy Trudeau."  
Turner inclined his head in greeting. "Good evening, everyone."  
He saw the weapon that Prue was holding and smiled self-depreciatingly. "Please, Miss Halliwell. You won't need that tonight."  
"I'll be the judge of that," Prue answered brusquely.  
"As you like."  
They walked into the living room, and Turner indicated one of the chairs. "May I sit?"  
After a moment, Prue nodded; and with obvious difficulty, Turner settled himself down into his seat. Instinctively, Phoebe started forward to assist him, but Piper grabbed her firmly by the arm and sternly shook her head.  
"So, here's how this is going to work," Prue began to say.  
"You've cast the spell of truth. Any question you ask I will be magically compelled to answer." Turner seemed utterly unperturbed. "Well? Am I right?"  
"How did you know that?" Phoebe asked.  
"Come on, Phoebe. I may be a demon but I'm not stupid. Your sisters don't trust me, so their best strategy is to compel the truth from me magically."  
The sisters exchanged dismayed glances.  
"Ladies. I am not here to threaten you, or harm you. So let me add the disclaimer, I won't be asking any questions of you. At least, none you would feel uncomfortable answering."  
Piper looked at Prue despairingly. "He knows," she muttered. "We can't do this."  
"Yeah. We can," Prue decided, taking the seat on the couch closest to their visitor. She regarded him for a long moment.  
"Phoebe trusts you," she said finally. "But you're right. None of the rest of us do."  
"Well, I suppose I haven't exactly given you much of a reason to trust me."  
"Yeah, well, you're a demon, and demons lie," Paige spat.  
"You presume where I am concerned," Turner answered placidly. "Demons are more than capable of speaking the truth."  
"You just choose not to."  
"No. Our preference is to speak the truth... when it hurts." For the first time, there was a hard edge in Turner's voice, a glint of something demonic. Piper suppressed a shudder of revulsion.  
"Why do you want to help us?" Paige asked pointedly.  
Turner shuddered as if he'd been struck; he was visibly fighting the magical compulsion to reply.  
"This really is an evil spell, you know that?" he protested.  
"Just answer the question, Cole," Phoebe prompted gently.  
"Because of the prophecy."  
Prue frowned in puzzlement. "Prophecy? What prophecy?"  
"Many years ago, I met another sorceress - a seer. Someone not unlike you, Phoebe. She had the ability to read the truth of another's heart, and to see the future. She told me that one day I would meet a witch - a young, beautiful, nascent witch, with powers that would undo me."  
"What, and you still think I'm her?" Phoebe protested.  
"What do you mean, still?" Piper asked Phoebe.  
Phoebe shook her head. "Cole mentioned this to me when we first met."  
"You think Phoebe's going to destroy you." Prue sought to clarify.  
"The prophecy states, the witch would literally separate my demon self from my human aspect. Leaving me a hollow shell. Empty and powerless."  
"Wait, I don't get it," Paige frowned in puzzlement. "I thought how you appear now is just a disguise. A mask. Aren't you supposed to be all red, or purple, or scaly, or something?"  
Turner shook his head sadly. "For some demons, that would be true. But I'm half human. The aspect you see now is the same form I would wear, if I were entirely human."  
"So, what we're seeing is the real you?"  
"It's part of the real me."  
"I've seen the other part of you," Prue said tersely. "And I don't care to see that part of you ever again."  
Turner shrugged noncommittally. "That is my stronger, truer self."  
Phoebe knelt down in front of Turner. "All the same, why do think I am the witch of your prophecy?"  
Turner swallowed hard. "It's not obvious to you?"  
Phoebe felt distinctly giddy. "You mean-"  
"What is it that you desire, Phoebe Halliwell?"  
"You," Phoebe answered instantly, and then, realizing what she had just admitted to, stood bolt upright, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror.  
"Oh, for God's sake, you _do_ have the hots for a demon," Paige cried in dismay.  
"You want me. I want you," Turner said matter-of-factly. "It's as simple as that."  
Unable to bear the shame of her exposed desire, Phoebe turned and bolted from the room. A moment later, they heard her running up the stairs.  
"Phoebe, get back here!" Paige called out. "That's _my_ room now! You can't hide in there!"  
"No. Let her go," Prue said quietly. She turned to Leo. "Keep an eye on her? Please?"  
Leo nodded and started to turn away, but Piper caught him by the elbow.  
"It's okay, honey, I got this." She looked over at Turner. "You, stay," she ordered sternly.  
"Your spell just makes me answer your stupid questions," the demon protested. "It doesn't let you put me on a leash, too."  
"Well, if you don't sit there quietly, and behave like the civilized man you're pretending to be, I'll make you wear one," Piper vowed.  
"I'd listen to her, if I were you," Prue seconded.  
Turner made a heavy, disgruntled sigh, and sank deeper into his chair. Satisfied, Piper headed up the stairs. "Be right back," she promised.  
The demon turned to look at Leo Wyatt.  
"I don't suppose you've got any beer around here?" he asked.  
Leo smiled mirthlessly. "Sorry. No alcohol in this house."  
Turner groaned. "This is worse than Hell."

"Piper, leave me alone, please," Phoebe pleaded with an anguished groan, her face buried in a large pillow.  
Piper stood in the doorway of Paige's bedroom, where Phoebe had instinctively bolted. She regarded her younger sister somberly, curled up in a near-fetal position on Paige's bed, crying softly. Piper clambered onto the bed and seated herself Indian style, her legs crossed beneath her. She smiled tolerantly at her sister. "Come on, Pheebs, it's not the end of the world."  
"Yes, it is."  
"No, it's not."  
"That was mortifying," Phoebe protested.  
"Hey, you're not the first person in this family to fall for a demon, you know."  
Phoebe looked up at her sister with a tearful stare. "But I have a _boyfriend!"_ she wailed.  
"Yes, you do. And that makes the choice pretty easy, doesn't it?"  
"Don't lecture me, Piper, please."  
Piper held her hands out at her sides, as if she were balancing a set of invisible scales.  
"Handsome, muscular fireman boyfriend on one hand, soul-sucking demon from Hell on the other. Yup. That's a toughie."  
Despite her tears, Phoebe made a fragile giggle. "It's not that simple," she protested feebly.  
"It _is_ that simple," Piper chided gently. "There's a big difference between desire and love. And at the end of the day, I know that you are smart enough to tell the difference between the two. I also know that you'll do the right thing, no matter where your darker impulses might lead. Don't let your fears get to you, Phoebe. You can handle this. You're strong enough, and you're smart enough, and you're more than the equal of any demon, even if he does look really hot in a nice suit."  
Phoebe managed a weak smile. "Thanks," she murmured. "I needed that."  
"You're welcome. Now, why don't you go clean yourself up, come on downstairs, and we'll deal with what's in front of us. I'm sure Paige would appreciate it, if you left her at least one dry pillow."  
"But what if I -"  
"Ah-ah!" Piper held up a finger, shushing her sternly. "No vacillating! You got this. Right?"  
Phoebe looked deeply pained, and she squirmed uncomfortably.  
_"Right?"_ Piper insisted.  
Sighing, Phoebe gave in. "Yeah. I got this," she said, nodding reluctantly.  
"Good. Now let's go downstairs, and figure out how we're going to deal with this mess."  
Piper got up off the bed, and Phoebe grudgingly sat up to follow. For the first time, she looked around, and noticed the many changes that had been made to her former bedroom.  
"What in the world is _that_ she has hanging on the wall?" she asked in bafflement.  
Piper regarded the framed reproduction with a slightly cocked head. "I think... that's a de Kooning," she said, uncertainly.  
Phoebe made a face. "It looks like somebody vomited onto a canvas."  
"Now, now," Piper tutted. "Your baby sister is something of an artist. She's allowed to decorate according to her own tastes. This is her space now."  
Phoebe caught a glimpse of something past Piper's shoulder. "Hey, Piper, close the door a minute."  
"What?"  
"Step inside, close the door. She's got something written on the wall."  
Piper stepped away from the doorway and closed it. The two sisters gaped at the huge block letters that had been painted over the wallpaper just behind the door.  
_"Prue believes in you, Piper and Phoebe believe in you, believe in yourself,"_ Phoebe murmured softly, reading the words aloud. Phoebe's brow furrowed into a puzzled frown. "An incantation?"  
"Looks more like a daily pep talk." She gave her younger sister a knowing smile. "Maybe that's advice you should take yourself."  
"Maybe I should," Phoebe agreed thoughtfully. "You know something, I think my baby sister's pretty smart."  
"Yes, she is."  
The two sisters exchanged a quick glance.  
"We're not telling Paige we saw this, are we?"  
"Nope."  
"Yeah. Thought not."

Downstairs in the living room, Paige Matthews stood across from Cole Turner, not taking her eyes from him, a vial held tightly in her clenched and slightly upraised fist. Turner rolled his eyes in scorn.  
"Miss Matthews, please, put that away," he sighed. "You're wasting your time. I'm an upper level demon, so unless that vial has some of my blood in it, and some of yours, it's not going to do anything to me. It won't even give me so much as a rash."  
"No, but I'm sure it can make you feel enough pain to -" Paige stopped abruptly in mid-sentence, staring at Turner in amazement; and then she grinned wickedly. Realizing he'd just betrayed himself again, the demon smacked his fist on the arm of his chair in frustration. "Damn it!" he bellowed.  
"Aww, thank you for the information, though," Paige cooed. "That was really sweet of you."  
Piper came back into the living room and gave Turner an insincerely friendly smile.  
"Comfy?" she asked.  
"Can we get this over with, please?" Turner fumed.  
"I hate to say it, but Cole's right," Prue admitted.  
"What, you're on a first name basis with the demon too now, are you?"  
Ignoring Piper's gibe, Prue gave her attention to Turner. "What is the Source planning to do to us?"  
Turner spread his hands helplessly. "That's just it! I don't know," he sighed.  
"Then why are you so certain he's going to attack us?"  
"Because he's the damn Source, okay? And suddenly the Charmed Ones aren't just the Power of Three any more. There are four of you now. It completely upsets the balance of power. Nobody was prepared for anything like this." Realizing Prue was waiting for a more substantive answer, Turner elaborated somewhat. "Look, I hear things in the underworld. Lots of things. Demons are absolutely terrified of the four of you."  
"Demons are terrified of us," Paige repeated, not quite believing what she was hearing.  
"Yes, they are," Turner nodded solemnly.  
A slow grin crossed Paige's face. "That's so cool."  
"It's not cool if it provokes the Source into doing something reckless and stupid," Turner countered. "He is going to be expected to act swiftly and decisively against you. He has to, especially if he wants to retain his power and authority."  
"So, what, he's gonna order the demonic equivalent of a S.W.A.T. team to come after us?" Piper asked.  
"Don't be ridiculous. You don't get to be the Source if that's your idea of resolving a confrontation."  
"Then what do you think he's going to do?"  
The voice came from the foyer. Phoebe Halliwell was standing in the doorway, where she had been listening intently to the conversation. Everyone looked up at her. Her eyes were still red and swollen, but her face now exuded complete calm. She repeated her question as she entered the room. "Say you're the Source, Cole, and you suddenly have the four of us to contend with. What would you do?"  
Turner looked at Phoebe for a long moment before answering. "I would not seek to destroy you," he said finally. "Not and let all that magical power go to waste. If I were in the Source's position, I would first try to subvert you - bring you over to evil of your own free will."  
"Yeah, like that's ever gonna happen," Piper drawled.  
"Look how you're wasting your power now," Turner said. "Protecting mortals who just don't give a shit. Do you honestly think they're grateful? Most of them are utterly amoral to begin with. You, on the other hand, have such amazing gifts. With the right guidance, you could be running this whole damn planet inside of three months. Why are you wasting your time in a lost cause?"  
"Some of us aren't interested in running the whole damn planet," Prue threw the demon's words back at him.  
"No, but you do have desires that tempt you, and you could achieve all of them overnight, by means of magic."  
"Yeah, except there's this tiny little law about personal gain," Paige countered.  
"Which you could override in a matter of moments by sheer force of your will, and through your own power," Turner shot back angrily. "If you know anything about demons, then you know they respect power. You have power most beings can't even dream of. And how do you spend it? You give up your powers, you take them back again, you swap them back and forth, you use them whenever a careless whim strikes you, all without the slightest regard for what you're doing. It's a minor miracle you haven't destroyed the entire planet in a fit of pique! You take what you have completely for granted. You have powers that can impact millions of lives, and what do you think about instead? You worry about boyfriends. Shoes. Babies. Careers. What is _wrong_ with you people?"  
"I don't know, Cole, that's my private fantasy list you just reeled off there," Piper said. "It sounds pretty good to me."  
"You called him Cole!" Phoebe exclaimed with a delighted smile.  
"Yeah, zip it, Pheebs."  
"You do us a disservice," Prue said evenly. "Yes. You're right. We've made plenty of mistakes, and believe me, we're painfully aware of them."  
As Prue said this, Paige hung her head, feeling deeply ashamed.  
"We know that we have the responsibility to use our powers wisely," Prue continued, her dusky voice deepened with a somber tone. "We've learned, from very bitter experience, to recognize the line between the use of power, and abuse of it. We're not interested in blurring that line any further."  
"The purpose of power is to acquire more power," Turner answered. "It exists for its own sake. There is no reason, none at all, for the four of you to limit yourselves as you do."  
Prue sighed. There was no point continuing the conversation. Turner had no substantive information about the Source's plans, and she had no stomach for a philosophical debate of their respective moralities. She turned to her sisters. "I think we can let our guest leave now," she said quietly.  
Reluctantly, all the sisters nodded their assent. Turner looked at each of them and then shook his head sadly.  
"So that's it," he said in deflated voice. "You're just going to plunge headlong into a doom of your own making."  
"We are not going to let the Source, or any other demon, destroy us," Prue said flatly.  
Turner looked at Prue with something closely resembling pity. "The Source isn't going to destroy you because he's more powerful. He's going to destroy you because you have no idea how powerful you really are."  
With deliberate care, and grimacing noticeably with pain, Turner slowly got to his feet and reached for his walking stick. It took every ounce of Phoebe's willpower to not rush to his aid. Trudeau put a precautionary hand on his sidearm, but Prue shook her head. It wasn't needed. Turner noticed Piper regarding him with genuine curiosity.  
"Is there something else you wanted to ask?" he said churlishly.  
"Maybe not ask," Piper replied. "I just - I don't see how you can possibly be in love with my sister. You only just met her. You barely know her."  
There was something almost inexpressibly sad in the demon's face. "You don't believe in love at first sight?"  
"No, of course not," Piper snorted. "That's ridiculous."  
"Is it? Then tell me, please, how long was it before you knew you wanted to marry Leo Wyatt?"  
"Well, I - "  
"When did you know?" Turner pressed.  
"The moment I first saw him," Piper admitted in a weak voice, and then her mouth fell open in dismay.  
"AARRGGH!" Piper shrieked angrily. "I swear, as soon as these twenty-four hours are up, I'm tearing that damn truth spell out of the Book of Shadows, and ripping it to shreds!"  
"I'll be happy to help you," Turner grumbled sourly.  
The demon walked slowly into the foyer, supporting himself on his walking stick, and only Prue and Phoebe accompanied him. Andy Trudeau intentionally stayed a few paces behind, his hand on his weapon. As Turner reached the door, he regarded Phoebe with open admiration.  
"You're not afraid any more," he observed.  
"No. I'm not."  
"So, you found your strength after all."  
Phoebe returned his admiring stare. "My sisters found it for me."  
"Recognizing you have the power is only the first step. To be truly powerful, you must exercise that power."  
"I do exercise it," Phoebe answered evenly. "Just not in ways a demon would see as valuable."  
Making an almost imperceptible nod, Turner slowly turned away. He had placed his hand on the doorknob when Prue called out to him.  
"Cole, wait."  
With agonizing slowness, Turner faced her.  
"You came to warn us. But you didn't need to do that. You could have just let the Source do whatever he intends to do."  
"I already told you, I am motivated by the prophecy."  
Prue pursed her lips. Her next question - and its answer - would undoubtedly be dangerous for all of them.  
"If the Source moves against us, will you stand with us?"  
"Sorry, what?"  
"Will you fight alongside us?"  
"And why would I do that?"  
"To protect Phoebe."  
The demon closed his eyes for a moment. A look of genuine agony flashed across his features. Prue might as well have slashed him with her mystical blade once again. When he opened his eyes, Turner's answer was just barely audible.  
"Yes," he answered. "I will."  
Prue made a superhuman effort to hide her elation. She nodded tersely that Turner was free to leave.  
"Good night, Cole."  
In spite of himself, the demon managed a rakish smile. An understanding had passed between them. "Good night, Miss Halliwell."  
After the door had closed behind Turner, Phoebe collapsed into the nearest chair, curling up into a tight ball of misery.  
"I am _so_ going to Hell," she moaned disconsolately.


	6. Chapter 6

Shortly after Turner's departure, everyone agreed to call it a night, even though it was still relatively early.  
"We've had one long and very seriously weird day," Prue announced. "And tomorrow's likely to be more of the same. So let's get some rest while we can."  
"Shouldn't we post a guard?" Andy Trudeau suggested in all seriousness. "If you're really expecting an attack-"  
"That's what the protection spell is for," Prue assured him. "It's not going to keep anything as powerful as the Source from entering our home. But he won't be getting in here without us having plenty of warning."  
Paige was adamant that Phoebe spend the night with her, in her old bedroom.  
"Seriously, Paige, I can take the couch," Phoebe protested feebly. "I'll be fine down here."  
"You _won't_ be fine," Paige shot back. "Admit it. You were seriously creeped out by what happened today."  
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed in a small voice. "I was."  
"And if you just sit down here by yourself, then you're gonna be up all right, replaying the whole thing in your head over and over, you won't get a wink of sleep, and you'll completely useless tomorrow. And we're gonna need you, Pheeble."  
"All right, all right," Phoebe relented.  
"Now, come on," Paige urged, going so far as to take her sister by the hand and all but drag her up the stairs.  
Once inside her room, Paige closed the door behind them. She gave Phoebe an embarrassed smile.  
"I guess you saw my big note to myself, huh?"  
"Yeah, I did," Phoebe admitted, after a moment's hesitation.  
"I painted that after Prue and I did our power swap. I was having a crisis of faith."  
"Paige, you don't need to justify anything for my sake."  
"Just explaining. That's all."  
Phoebe regarded her younger sister appraisingly. "Well, you certainly seem much more confident in yourself now."  
Paige shrugged. "I don't know that I have any more confidence in myself," she said carefully. "But I do know I have the best sister posse in the world. If I ever need anything, you guys will always be there to back me up. It makes a big difference."  
"All you ever need to do is ask."  
"I have, I do, and I will," Paige declared with a self-deprecating grin.  
Suddenly feeling utterly exhausted, Phoebe quickly stripped down to her undershirt and panties, then folded her clothes, setting them on the small chair in the corner of the room. She got into the bed and pulled the covers up over her. She looked around the room again, which now bore the indelible stamp of her baby sister's personality, and she grinned.  
"I love what you've done with the place," she laughed.  
Paige had shrugged herself out of all her clothes except a camisole. "It's not too weird for you to be up here, is it?" she fretted. "I know this used to be your room and all."  
"It's fine," Phoebe assured her. "I like that you've made it your own place. It's a good place."  
"Thanks."  
Paige was carefully folding her clothes for the hamper when she realized Phoebe was staring at her.  
"What?" Paige asked. "What is it?"  
Phoebe shook her head as if to clear it. "Sorry," she apologized. "It's just - I keep forgetting, you're not my Paige. I expected to see all kinds of tattoos when you got undressed."  
"Sorry. No ink on this Paige. Just scars. Lots and lots of scars." She grinned. "You see your Paige naked a lot, do you?"  
"Not as much as her fiancé sees," Phoebe retorted playfully.  
Paige put her clothes into the hamper just inside her closet door, then set the dimmer on the bedroom lamp for ten minutes. The ambient light immediately lowered, until there was only as much light as a single candle flame. Paige slid under the bedsheets on her side, facing Phoebe.  
"I'm glad you're spending the night up here," she confessed. "I hate sleeping alone."  
"Piper said you might have a girlfriend?" Phoebe asked shyly.  
"I've - been seeing someone," Paige allowed. "Not sure if it's real yet or not."  
"Real?"  
"I mean, I haven't told her that I'm a - you know."  
Phoebe smiled sadly. "That you're a witch."  
"Well, yeah. It's one thing to tell someone you're into that kind of thing. It's something else for them to actually see you do it - or maybe even have to fight off a demon with it."  
"That's for sure," Phoebe agreed.  
"It must be so cool to live where you do. Nobody has to hide in the Wiccan closet."  
"It does help that magic is accepted by everyone," Phoebe said thoughtfully. "Makes life a lot easier. So, how long have you two been dating?"  
"It'll be a month next Tuesday."  
"Brand new relationship, then."  
"Yeah. We're still trying to get to know each other. But I like her. I really, really like her."  
"Am I going to get to meet her while I'm here?"  
"As long as we don't spend the entire weekend fighting demons, I think, yeah. I would like everyone to meet her."  
"This is so weird," Phoebe giggled. "In some ways, you're just like my Paige. You could even _be_ her. But in other ways, you're a completely different person."  
"Well, that's good, right?"  
"I suppose it's good that each of you is your own person."  
"You really love her, don't you?"  
"Who?" Phoebe half-lifted her head up off the pillow, staring at Paige.  
"The other me."  
"Well, I - ahh..."   
"I don't mean, you want to have sex with her, Pheeble, jeez," Paige protested, rolling her eyes. "I just mean you love her."  
"Yeah. I do," Phoebe admitted, laying her head back down.  
"Your voice completely changes when you talk about her. You get this faraway look in your eyes. It's pretty obvious." Paige's own voice grew wistful. "So how come the two of you are so close? It's not like you've known her forever."  
"But I have," Phoebe protested. "I mean, I feel like I have. I didn't - this is gonna sound so weird - I didn't grow up with her. But I _grew up_ with her. If that makes any sense."  
"Sure it does. She's the one who helped you become your own person."  
"Yeah. Sort of. It's hard to explain."  
"No, it's not. I feel that way about Prue and Piper."  
"I know you do," Phoebe agreed. "And it's obvious to me. I see it every time I visit you guys."  
"But it's easy to explain."  
"Okay, so, explain it, then."  
Paige's large eyes grew tear-bright. "I was lost," she said simply. "And they're the ones who found me."  
Phoebe suddenly felt tears welling in her own eyes.  
"And that's what happened to you too, isn't it?" Paige asked. "You were lost. And Prue and Paige found you."  
"Yeah," Phoebe agreed in a broken voice. "They did."  
"It's okay, Phoebe. I'm glad you guys found each other. They were lost without you, too."  
Phoebe smiled sadly. "Are you _sure_ you're not my Paige?"  
"I'm sure," Paige declared solemnly. "But I don't mind being your 'other' Paige. I'll take all the family I can get."  
"Well, just so you know," Phoebe had to speak slowly, to keep her voice from choking. "I love you, too."  
"Yeah, right back atcha, Pheeble." Paige grinned. "Now, why don't we get some shuteye. Tomorrow's gonna be another rotten day, and we are in serious need of some quality Zs."  
"Okay."  
Phoebe rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes, but as she did so, Paige snuggled up close to her, spooning her from behind and draping a slender arm protectively across her sister's waist.  
"And if any demons try to get into your dreams, I'm right here, and I will chase them all away," she promised in a near-whisper.  
Gratefully, Phoebe clasped Paige's small hand in hers, and they fell almost instantly asleep.

In Piper's room, Piper and Leo were getting ready for bed, although as they undressed each was preoccupied with private thoughts. As they slipped under the bedcovers, Piper snuggled close to Leo, but it was clear her thoughts were elsewhere.  
Leo smiled. "You first."  
Piper frowned in puzzlement. "What? I didn't say anything."  
"You didn't have to. You're worried about what happened tonight. So am I."  
"Actually, I'm not so much worried as annoyed," Piper sighed. "We let a demon into our house, and for what? It turns out he didn't know a damn thing. We risked so much, and absolutely nothing of value came of it."  
"That's what puzzles me. Belthazor is an upper level demon. For him not to have even _some_ idea of the Source's plans - I don't know. It doesn't feel right."  
"You don't think he found some way around the truth spell, do you?" Piper asked, vaguely alarmed.  
Leo shook his head. "No. Nothing like that. I think he was telling the truth - as far as he knows it."  
"Great."  
"But, there was something he said which stuck in my head," Leo mused. "Made me wonder."  
"What was that?"  
"You asked him if the Source was going to send demons after you. And he said, basically, the Source wouldn't work that way."  
"You think he was evading the answer?"  
"No, but that's just it. The Source did do something like that, once before."  
"Shax!" Piper's eyes went wide. "He is - I mean, he _was_ \- the Source's Assassin."  
"He was clearly sent at the Source's direction. But after he failed, there was absolutely no attempt to follow up."  
"Yeah, well, that's because we kicked his demon ass."  
"He was just one demon. If one demon fails, then why not send a dozen? Or a hundred? Or a thousand?"  
"You mean, why haven't we been attacked since then?"  
"Think about it, Piper. It's been months since Shax appeared. And as far as I know, not a single demonic encounter you've had since was directed by the Source."  
Piper propped herself up on one elbow so they could carry on their conversation face to face.  
"Yeah, but we gave up our powers right after that," she reminded Leo. "Phoebe went home, and Prue and Paige and I hit the magical 'off' switch. We weren't a threat to any demons then."  
"Maybe. But even though you weren't using your powers, they weren't gone."  
"You mean, the demons could have killed us, and stolen our powers anyway."  
"And yet they didn't. Why not?"  
Piper was utterly nonplussed. "I - don't know," she admitted finally.  
"And now, things have changed. Word is getting around that not only do the Charmed Ones have all their powers back, there are four of you."  
"So, you _do_ think he's going to send a demonic special ops squad after us."  
"I'm kind of wondering why it hasn't happened already," Leo confessed, somewhat reluctantly.  
"You don't think what Cole said is true? That demons are terrified of us?"  
"It's possible."  
"And what, they're all cowering in a hole somewhere?"  
Leo chuckled at the thought. "That makes an interesting visual."  
"So, what do we do now? If Cole's no help-" Piper rolled her eyes in exasperation. "God. Now Phoebe's got me calling the demon by his first name," she fumed. She focused herself with an effort. "What _are_ we going to do?"  
"Well, somehow, we need to find out if you and your sisters are under imminent threat of attack. We can't protect ourselves if we can't see what's coming."  
"And how do we do that?"  
Leo's grim face displayed the depth of his worry.  
"I don't know," he admitted helplessly.

Andy Trudeau was having a hard time reading Prue's emotional state. True, they had just spent the last hour in the company of an upper level demon, and Prue had intentionally shielded herself with emotional defenses as much as magical ones. But it hard to tell if she had now relaxed those defenses. He decided to try sounding her out with a neutral comment, to see if she might want to talk.  
"Hell of a night," he offered.  
Prue closed her bedroom door and managed a taut smile. "Yes, it was."  
"You okay?"  
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so," she nodded after a moment. "I don't know. It's just - whenever I talk to demons, I feel like I need to take a long, hot bath afterwards."  
"I know what you mean," Trudeau agreed sympathetically.  
Prue came up to him and twined her arms around his neck. "Well, it's over and done with. We've done what we could for tonight. And now, I want to spend the rest of my evening with someone who's actually important to me." She gave him a quick kiss. "Take your clothes off," she ordered.  
Trudeau grinned. "I thought you might want to talk first."  
"Take your clothes off, or I will rip them off."  
Prue was smiling as she said this, but she wasn't joking. Trudeau began to unbutton his shirt.  
Prue simply discarded her own clothes, flinging them aside carelessly, not bothering to pick them up or fold them. She got into her bed and looked at Trudeau expectantly. He finished undressing hurriedly and joined her. As he pulled her close, she kissed him hard on the lips.  
"I'm really glad you're here tonight," she confessed breathlessly.  
"Yeah, me too. Do you want -"  
"Fuck first. Talk later."  
There was no arguing with that. Trudeau returned the kiss, then reached with one hand into the top nightstand drawer. Without looking, his fingers closed around what he needed. He held it out to Prue for her inspection.  
Prue grinned mischievously, and taking the condom between her index and middle fingers, tossed it away with the flick of her hand. Trudeau gave her a bemused grin.  
"Prue?"  
"You won't need that," she whispered, still smiling. _"We_ won't need that. Not any more."  
She kissed him passionately, long and lingering; and Trudeau encircled Prue in his arms, pulling her close. The kiss left him breathless.  
"But what about -"  
She put a finger to his lips, shushing him. "I've been thinking. About what I want. About _who_ I want." She let her lips brush his again, a brief, butterfly kiss. "I want this. I want us."  
She pulled back just far enough to look into his eyes. "Life is so damn short, Andy. I don't want any more regrets. And my biggest regret is, I wasn't honest with you before."  
"You don't need to apologize for that, Prue."  
"I know. This isn't an apology. You've been asking me for a long time now to be yours. This is me saying yes." She gave him a breathy kiss. "Sometimes, being a witch still scares me," she confessed. "But I can't let that be an excuse. You're willing to accept magic in your life, for my sake. I can't do less."  
Trudeau shrugged. "I guess... it's not that different from me," he pointed out. "Policemen have to respond, whenever there's a crisis. Turns out, so do witches."  
There was a momentary flicker of a shadow across Prue's face. "This ... this _shit_ ... it's never going to stop. It'll never be over. I can't change that."  
"Prue -"  
"All I can do is change is how I react to it. I'm not going to run away any more."  
"Okay," Trudeau said simply.  
"I can't promise it won't be hard, or frustrating, or awful at times."  
"Prue. I get it. I understand." He gave her a rueful grin. "If you're willing to put up with all the crap that goes along with being an inspector's wife, then I'd be stupid not put up with demons and warlocks as your husband. We both have to deal with the bad guys. Frankly, I still think you'd have the worst end of that deal."  
"Let's not make it into a contest, Andy." Prue giggled softly.  
"Fair enough."  
"Ask me. I'm ready for you to ask me."  
Trudeau's smile reflected his bemusement. "What, right now?"  
"Right now."  
"You want me to propose to you."  
"Yes, I do."  
"I don't have a ring."  
"You don't need one," Prue assured him with a smile that somehow managed to be both carnal and tender all at once.  
Andy Trudeau felt a great, heartbreaking joy swelling within him. She wanted nothing more this night than to simply give him her answer; all that she needed was his question.  
"Prue Halliwell, will you marry me?"  
"Yes," Prue answered, her eyes tear-bright. "Yes, I will."  
He pulled her close, kissing her. Their fingers twined, their hands clasped, and they felt themselves slowly melting into one another. And for a time, there were no two happier people on earth than Andy Trudeau and Prudence Halliwell. 

* * *

The following morning, Piper came down the stairs, casually dressed in jeans, sweatshirt and sneakers, yawning expansively as she tried to shake off her fresh-woken doldrums. Normally on a Saturday, she would have slept in, but since the house was full of company, she had decided the night before to prepare breakfast for everyone. As she shuffled into the kitchen, eyes still half swollen shut from sleep, she fumbled for the light switch. There was some ambient light from outside coming in from the windows, but not yet strong enough to let her see properly. Her hand closed on the light switch and she pushed it. A muted click was heard, but the lights did not go on.  
"Humph!" Piper snorted in vexation, and tried the switch again. Nothing.  
Frowning and squinting, Piper peered around the still dark kitchen. Nearly all the kitchen appliances had small lights to indicate if power was available, but none of them were lit.  
"The power's off?" Piper wondered aloud. She checked the light switches in the dining area and the stairwell, and they too were unresponsive. To be absolutely certain, Piper returned to the kitchen and opened the door to the refrigerator. The interior was still cold, but the internal light was off.  
"Well, that's just great," Piper sighed sourly. "How am I supposed to make breakfast without any power?"  
She returned to the stairwell, and, experimentally, lifted the receiver of the phone. There was no dial tone, no emergency signal - nothing. The line was completely dead.  
"Crap," Piper muttered to herself. "Phone's out too. Probably some moron took out a transformer with a backhoe."  
She decided if she could do nothing else, she could at least collect the newspaper from the front porch. As she neared the front door, she could see an eerie orange glow streaming in from the living room windows.  
"What the hell?"  
She sidestepped into the living room, and drew aside the curtain. As she looked out through the window, her eyes went wide with shock and horror.  
"Oh, my God," she murmured.  
After staring in stupefied disbelief for several moments, instinctual fear took over, and she raced in a near-panic for the stairwell.  
"Leo, Prue, everyone, get your asses down here, NOW!" Piper shouted at the top of her lungs, just one pitch below a terrified scream.  
After a moment, she could hear some confused stumbling from upstairs, as her voice had evidently roused the entire household. "LEO! PRUE!" Piper yelled again. "PHOEBE! PAIGE! EVERYBODY UP! NOW! NOW! NOW!"  
Prue was the first down the stairs, wearing only a rumpled nightshirt, gently rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  
"Piper, what is it? What's wrong?"  
Piper gestured frantically in the direction of the living room. "Look!"  
As Prue walked into the living room, Leo Wyatt, Andy Trudeau, Phoebe and Paige all came down the stairs, strategically tugging at their bedclothes to make themselves decent.  
"Where's the fire?" Phoebe wanted to know.  
"Outside!" Piper shrilled.  
Prue came racing back from the living room, her face blanched with horror. She threw open the front door and stepped out onto the porch. Everyone followed closely behind her. They all stared in shock and amazement at the view before them.  
The neighborhood was gone. The buildings, the cars, the power and telephone lines, even the street itself - everything had vanished. The front yard, with its small patch of grass, seemed perfectly normal, right up to the point where it abutted the sidewalk - but beyond that there was nothing but scorched and half-molten rock. As far as they could see in any direction, the manor was surrounded by dark reddish-brown earth, smoking and steaming from some internal heat source. The surface of the ground seemed to ripple slowly in the heavy atmosphere. The early morning sky had a distinctly reddish-orange cast to it, and the smell of sulphur and other toxic gases hung heavy in the air. The radiating heat was almost suffocating - it felt like standing next to an open oven door.  
"Oh, dear Lord," Leo Wyatt murmured in dismay.  
"Okay, this is bad, right?" Paige asked in a quavering voice.  
"Bad doesn't cover it." Phoebe's mouth was set in a taut, almost angry line.  
"I don't get it. What happened to the city? Where the hell are we?" asked Andy Trudeau in bafflement.  
"That's exactly where we are," Prue answered grimly. "Welcome to Hell."


	7. Chapter 7

"How is this possible?" Piper gaped at the yawning chasm in front of them. "Phoebe can move herself in time and space, but the whole house?"  
"Are you saying _I_ did this?" Phoebe exclaimed.  
"No, but somebody did," Piper barked, her fear giving an edge of anger to her voice.  
"All right, you guys," Prue pleaded. "Nobody panic."  
"Nobody panic," Paige repeated numbly. "Prue, the whole damn manor has just been transported into Hell. I think that's a really good reason to panic."  
Before the sisters could quarrel further, a soft moan of pain interrupted them. Previously unnoticed on the lawn, the figure of a man lay face down on the grass only a few steps away from the boiling mud at the edge of the yard. His clothes were tattered and scorched, and there were bloodstains on whatever clothing remained. The flesh that was visible was covered not only with deep lacerations but also severe burns.  
"Oh, God," Piper flinched in sympathetic agony.  
"Who is that?" Paige asked, squinting, trying to make out any defining feature.  
"I don't know," Prue answered tersely. She started down the steps, but Piper frantically grabbed at her arm.  
"What are you doing?" she demanded.  
"Whoever he is, we can't leave him out there," Prue said.  
"Prue, it's not safe."  
"Piper, none of us are safe."  
"Let me," Leo volunteered, stepping forward.  
"Leo, we can't have you risking yourself -"  
"I used to be a army paramedic, Prue. This is something I know. Please. I can handle this. I'll be right back." He glanced around at everyone else. "Nobody leave the porch," he ordered.  
He sprinted across the small patch of grass, and in a matter of seconds, he had hoisted the unconscious man across his back in a fireman's carry, and pelted back to the relative safety of the porch. With Trudeau's help, he lowered the man to the planking.  
"Piper, get the first aid kit," he said in a slightly raised voice. As Piper stood indecisively, he added sharply, "GO!"  
With a start, Piper came to her senses and hurried inside. Leo carefully rolled the man over onto his back. Even with the angry burns and deep gashes across his face, there was no mistaking the identity of the victim.  
"Cole!" Phoebe cried in dismay. She knelt beside him.  
"Well, I guess now we know who's responsible for all this," Prue said grimly.  
Phoebe looked up her oldest sister, deeply aggrieved. "Prue, you don't know that," she chided angrily.  
"Come on, Phoebe, he is a demon," Andy Trudeau pointed out.  
"So that automatically makes him guilty of whatever's happened to us?"  
Prue sighed. "No," she relented. "It doesn't. But since he's the only other person here, there's a very good chance he knows what's going on. Leo, can you help him?"  
Leo Wyatt had been singularly focused on triaging his victim. Realizing he'd been asked a question, he looked up. "I don't know," he admitted. "He doesn't have any broken bones. I can't tell if he's bleeding internally, but I don't think so. Most of these burns and lacerations are ugly, but they're shallow. I should be able to treat them."  
"He's not going to die, is he?" Phoebe asked tremulously.  
"I can treat his human half," Leo allowed. "I can't do anything for his demonic side."  
Phoebe's brow furrowed into an angry frown. "Can't? Or you mean, you won't?"  
"I mean, I can't," Leo explained in a placating tone. "My White Lighter healing powers won't work on any demon. I can only hope that first aid for humans will be good enough for Cole."  
"We should let him die," Paige muttered darkly.  
"Shut up, Paige!" Phoebe yelled angrily.  
"Guys, guys," Leo pleaded, while still trying to assess his patient's condition. "I know everybody's freaked out, so just take a deep breath, and keep calm. Yelling at each other isn't going to fix anything." He looked up at Prue. "I don't know if we're any safer inside," he admitted. "But I'd like to bring him into the house."  
"Is it safe to move him?" Prue asked.  
Leo shrugged. "I've already yanked him off the front lawn. A few steps more can't make things much worse."  
"Let me get a blanket," Trudeau suggested. "We can use that as a stretcher. At least it will jostle him less."  
Prue nodded. "Thanks, Andy. Check the living room. We had some blankets and sheets laid out for Phoebe beside the couch."  
Trudeau hurried inside the house and returned a moment later with a heavy quilt.  
"Phoebe, please," he said, gently taking the young witch by her shoulders and helping her to her feet. Numb with shock, Phoebe stepped away as Trudeau quickly spread out the blanket beside Turner. The two men quickly shifted him onto the blanket, and then took either side of the thick fabric as Prue held the door open.  
"Paige, take the other blankets and sheets, lay them on the couch," she ordered. "Take off the back cushions."  
Paige did as she was told, hurriedly flinging the cushions behind the sofa and then spreading the bed clothes over the couch. Leo Wyatt and Andy Trudeau lugged the helpless demon inside and settled him onto the couch as gently as they could. Piper came down the stairs carrying the first aid kit.  
"You're bringing him inside?" she asked, aghast.  
"Yes," Prue answered simply, taking the kit from her and handing it to Leo.  
As he began to unpack the supplies he needed, he glanced at Prue. "Help me," he said.  
Prue frowned in puzzlement. "What can I do?"  
"You're a White Lighter now. You have the power to help heal Cole's human half."  
Prue gaped. "But - I have no idea how to do that."  
"It's not consciously directed, Prue. Come here."  
Reluctantly, Prue knelt beside the couch. Leo took her hands and placed them over Cole Turner's midsection.  
"Your compassion is your strength. Feel that. Your power will do the rest."  
"I - don't know that I feel any compassion for a demon," Prue protested awkwardly.  
"You feel compassion for your sisters," Leo said sternly. "Use that."  
"But how do I - "  
"Assume their well-being depends on his," Leo said grimly, as he began to clean the wounds and dress them.  
Prue sighed deeply, and splayed her fingers about an inch above the demon's chest. After a few moments, a soft white glow was visible from the underside of Prue's hands. Prue's own eyes went wide as she could feel the healing energy channeling through her.  
"Oh, my God," she murmured softly to herself.  
"Excellent," Leo managed a grim smile as he worked. "Keep it up, Prue."  
As Prue and Leo worked frantically to heal Turner, Paige sidled up to Phoebe.  
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I was scared. I was being mean and stupid."  
Phoebe's only response was to give her baby sister an angry glare.  
"I'm sorry," Paige repeated imploringly, but Phoebe just shook her head, and kept her eyes fixed on the wounded demon laying helplessly on the couch. Paige looked at Phoebe, openly dismayed that she might have said something unforgivable. Piper stepped up beside Paige and took her by the elbow, and guided her gently but firmly away.  
"I didn't mean it," Paige began to protest, but Piper shushed her.  
"Paige, enough. Just drop it and come with me. We need to throw on some real clothes, and then gather up clothes for everyone else and be back down here two minutes ago. We just pressed the red alert button. Understand?"  
Penitently, Paige nodded her head. What Piper said made sense; everyone save Piper was barely half-dressed in whatever clothing they had worn to bed the night before. She obediently followed her sister up the stairs, and as she did so, she shivered.  
"I guess we should get dressed," she admitted lamely. "Still kinda chilly just wearing a camisole."  
Piper's face creased into a puzzled frown. "Yeah," she said uncertainly. "It's still cold inside the house. That's weird."  
Taking no further time to ponder, Piper hurried to her own room, gathering up clothes for Leo. She met Paige in the hallway, now more or less dressed in a simple beige tank top and dark slacks, her arms filled with clothing for Prue and Phoebe.  
"Got anything there for Andy?"  
"I'll have to come back. I can barely see over what I've got."  
"It's okay, I can grab Andy's things."  
As they came down the stairs, Cole Turner was stirring slightly where he lay on the couch and moaning softly. Prue and Leo Wyatt were still kneeling in front of the couch, continuing their ministrations. Andy Trudeau and Phoebe stood behind the couch, and Phoebe had leaned over the back of the couch so she could gently clasp one of Turner's hands in hers.  
"Cole, try to lay still," Phoebe pleaded in a shaking voice.  
"Phoebe?"  
As the demon grimaced with pain, the expression made the gashes on his face re-open, and fresh dark red blood slowly welled up in the wounds. He let his head and face fall slack, as waves of agony washed over him. After a long interval, he managed to open one eye.  
"Where am I?" he asked in a raspy voice.  
"Actually, we were hoping you could tell us that," Prue admitted, her hands still splayed over the demon's chest.  
"Miss Halliwell?" Cole closed his one eye again, which was easier than grimacing. "I'm in the manor?"  
"Yes, and the manor is somewhere it isn't supposed to be," Prue answered brusquely. "And I'm betting you know where."  
Weakly, Turner tried to raise one arm, but Leo Wyatt restrained him. "Try not to move, Cole," he said quietly. "We don't know how badly you're hurt."  
"I think I'm hurt pretty bad," Turner decided after a moment's consideration.  
"Do you know what happened?"  
"I don't understand." Turner's answer indicated the depth of his disorientation.  
"What's the last thing you remember?" Phoebe asked.  
"The Source..."  
Everyone knotted around the couch and exchanged puzzled and worried frowns.  
"What about the Source, Cole?" Phoebe prompted gently.  
"He was trying to kill me," Turner answered after a very long pause. "He found out that I was trying to warn you."  
He managed to open both eyes, and saw Phoebe's worried face looking down on him. He managed the barest hint of a smile.  
"Hi," he croaked.  
"Hey," Phoebe's reply was almost whisper soft.  
"Guess I'm not doing so good, huh?"  
"You've been better," Phoebe admitted.  
"Cole, is the Source responsible for moving the manor?" Prue asked.  
Turner barely shifted his head so he could at least see Prue out of his peripheral vision. Finding that too blurred, he let his head fall back. "I don't know what you mean. Moving the manor?"  
"Cole, as far as we can tell, the entire house has been picked up and dropped somewhere in the middle of Hell," Phoebe tried to explain.  
Turner seemed utterly bemused. "Okay. That's new," he said weakly.  
"Is the Source responsible for that?"  
"I doubt it," Turner answered.  
Prue frowned. "Why not?"  
"The Source knows that Phoebe can somehow magically transport herself between realities. But he has no idea how to do that himself."  
"So, he sent you, to find out how Phoebe does it," Prue grimaced with anger.  
"Yes, but I don't know how Phoebe does that, and I don't think the Source does either."  
"Well, _somebody_ picked up the house and dumped us in another world," Piper declared. "It sure as hell wasn't the Wizard of Oz."  
"Who's that?"  
Piper rolled her eyes, but Phoebe gave Turner's hand a gentle squeeze.  
"Never mind," she said. "So, you think the Source didn't move the house."  
"Well, I don't know that he couldn't. But he had sent me to figure out how you did it. So unless he's learned something that I didn't know..."  
"Yeah, but that's not very likely," Phoebe mused aloud. "If the Source was still trying to figure out the spell after I arrived - I mean, it's not like I've used it since."  
"So, we still don't know where we are, or who's responsible," Piper groaned. "Just great."  
"And we don't know how to get back," Paige added in a small voice.  
"Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that the Source figured out how to transport us," Prue decided aloud. "So, where did he send us? Are we actually in Hell?"  
"No. Even if you were in Hell, you would still have the power of four," Turner pointed out. "Plus, two of you are White Lighters. You could just orb yourselves back home any time you wanted. If he could have, the Source would have sent you outside your reality altogether."  
"What, you mean, he dropped us into _another_ alternate universe?" Piper blanched.  
"Simplest way to eliminate the power of four," Turner said. "Just remove it from known reality. He wouldn't even need to know where he was sending you."  
"As long as he was sending us somewhere else," Prue concluded grimly.  
"Oh, God, you don't think that's really what happened, do you?" Piper could not hide the horror displaying on her face.  
"Then how are we supposed to get home?" Paige asked.  
Phoebe gave Turner's hand one more squeeze, then released it and straightened up. "That's simple," she said. "I have to do it."  
"Phoebe, no -" Prue started to protest.  
"Prue, it's the only way," Phoebe cut her off. "I'm the only one of the four of us who is capable of casting the spell. None of the rest of you have mastered it yet. I'm also the only one who is capable of getting a magical and psychic 'fix' on our home reality."  
"Phoebe, wait, we really need to discuss this," Prue pleaded.  
"Prue, there's no point in waiting," Phoebe began to argue. "The longer we wait, the worse this situation is going to get. I'm going now."  
"Dressed like that?" Piper chided. "In only your underwear?"  
Phoebe glanced down, and suddenly realized she wasn't dressed. "Oh..."  
"Look, why don't you at least get dressed first," Prue suggested hastily, casting a grateful sideways glance at Piper. "Before you decide to rescue the rest of our naked butts."  
"Ahh, yeah," Phoebe sighed, agreeing reluctantly. "I guess I could do that."  
Paige, eager to placate, quickly offered a bundle of clothing to her sister. Phoebe took them without really looking at Paige or acknowledging her. She began to shrug herself into her clothes.  
"Paige and I brought clothes for everyone," Piper offered aloud. "Why don't we take five minutes, and all get dressed, before we decide as a family how we're going to escape from Hell?"  
"Great idea, Piper, thanks," Prue smiled. "Ahh, Leo, why don't you get dressed first, I can keep healing Cole until you can take over."  
"Thanks, Prue."  
Prue frowned. "This is weird. I'm healing you," she said to Turner. "I know I am, I can feel it. But as soon as I move my hands somewhere else, your wounds open up again."  
"You can only heal the part of me that's human," Turner pointed out.  
Prue gave him a quizzical glance. "Does that mean your human half isn't evil?"  
"No. It just means my human half isn't demonic."  
"So, you're saying there's no good in you at all."  
"I'm saying being evil is the only way to live honestly. Believing in the goodness of other people only shows how gullible you are. And pretending to care about others just makes you a hypocrite."  
"Maybe in your reality," Prue said evenly. "Not every human being in the world cares solely about themselves."  
Despite his injuries, Turner made a derisive snort of disgust. "I really thought you were smarter than your sisters."  
"No," Prue answered, ignoring his gibe. "Just smarter than most demons."  
Leo Wyatt, now marginally more dressed in t-shirt, slacks and loafers, put a hand on Prue's shoulder. "I got this now, Prue, thanks."  
Prue gave Leo a grateful smile and stood up slowly, rubbing her hands over her aching knees as she straightened up. She hadn't realized she had been sitting in that awkward position for some time. She glanced over at Phoebe, who had hastily put on her clothes from yesterday.  
"Phoebe, please, let's talk about this."  
Phoebe gave her sister a bemused smile. "Actually, we do need to make some kind of plan," she admitted. "I know how to move people around. But I've never tried to do it for an entire house."  
"Yeah, I guess I'd rather not leave the manor behind, if we can help it."  
"Well, before we can get everyone safely home, we need a map. When I am hopping between San Franciscos, I have the magical equivalent of a lighthouse to focus on. The problem we have here is, we don't know where we're embarking from, even if we know where we want to go."  
"What are you thinking?"  
"I'm thinking I should try to get back to my San Francisco, alone, to set up that beacon first."  
Prue frowned. "You think we can't just go straight back home?"  
"Not without knowing where home is, no."  
"So what makes you think you can find the other San Francisco?"  
"Because I'm magically linked to my Paige and Prue, I mean, the other Paige and Prue. I have a signal I can follow. Once I've triangulated our position, then I can come back here, and we can all take one magical hop back home, I mean, to the home we're trying to get back to. Ugh!" Phoebe made a face.  
"It's okay, Phoebe, I'm following what you mean."  
"Worst case scenario, I come back here, and take you all to my San Francisco first. What I need you to figure out is, how do we bring the manor back, too."  
"You mean there's something you don't know?" Prue grinned.  
Phoebe gave Prue a surprisingly tender smile. "That's why I'll always need my big sister," she said simply.  
"And you're sure you'll be able to find us again?"  
Phoebe took Prue's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I'm magically linked to you and Piper, too. And now that I found my way back to you, I'm not losing you again. Not ever."  
Prue gave a sister her warmest smile. She was genuinely proud of her.  
"Okay. Then let's tell Piper and Paige what we're planning," she said. "They're family, they get to vote, too."  
A few minutes later, all the sisters reluctantly agreed to follow Phoebe's suggestion. While Leo and Andy Trudeau continued to monitor Cole Turner's fragile health in the living room, the sisters formed a rough semi-circle around Phoebe in the foyer, and she gave them a nervous smile.  
"Okay, time for the 'no place like home' spell," she announced, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "See you soon, guys."  
Phoebe slowly spread her arms wide, then drew them inward, steepling her hands in front of her face.  
_"The wind is the way, my heart is the door,"_ she chanted, half-speaking and half-singing the words. _"Sweep me away to the farther shore. Earth below and skies above, I seek to protect the ones I love. Across the seas and skies I roam. Bring me safely now to my other home."_  
As Phoebe cast her spell, a steady wind sprang up out of nowhere; and a mystical portal, with its now familiar contrails of dark purple vapor, began to coalesce around her. Just before she vanished, however, the portal shuddered violently, the vapor trails turned jet-black, and Phoebe's body appeared to be surrounded by flame. As the Halliwells looked on, horrified, Phoebe seemed to be engulfed in the fire. A strangled scream could be heard from the portal, and then it collapsed utterly and vanished.  
"Phoebe!" Piper shrieked in terror.  
"What the hell was that?" Paige asked in near panic. "Where has she gone?"  
Before the sisters could react, another portal, again with jet-black tendrils, opened on the spot where Phoebe had just stood, and another figure emerged. Small, shrunken, and dressed in monk's robes, the figure pulled back his hood, revealing a man who effectively had only half a face - one side nominally human, the other side disfigured not just by injury but from sheer malevolence to the point where it no longer bore any human aspect.  
"Good day," he said politely.  
"Uhh, who are you?" Prue demanded hoarsely.  
"Please forgive this intrusion," the apparition said by way of introduction. "In my mortal life, I was a humble monk of the Southern Temple, and a disciple of Mara, the great antagonist of enlightenment. But in this aspect, you might know me better as... The Source of All Evil."  
Prue felt all the blood draining from her face. "Oh, my God," she said in a strangled whisper.  
"Well, I'm not your god yet," the demon smiled malevolently. "But before this day is over... I will be."


	8. Chapter 8

Prue, Piper and Paige stood in the foyer at Halliwell manor, staring in horror at the demon who had suddenly appeared on the spot where Phoebe Halliwell had just vanished.  
"What have you done with Phoebe?" Piper shrieked angrily.  
Prue caught her sister's arm, ready to restrain her, if need be. "Don't," she whispered fiercely.  
The demon gave Piper a smile of purest malice. "Why, nothing," he disclaimed in mock innocence. "Nothing at all."  
Hearing a commotion, Leo Wyatt and Andy Trudeau burst in from the living room, although both men drew up short in instinctive revulsion at the sight of the demon with half a face.  
"Andy, Leo, NO!" Prue yelled. She threw herself in front of the two men, intending to shield them if necessary. "Don't move," she admonished them in a low voice. "Don't even blink. He'd burn you both to ash, if he took into his head to do so."  
Leo nodded grimly to Andy. "She's right." He looked genuinely frightened.  
Prue turned back to face the demon, her arms still outstretched to protect Andy and Leo. "Where's our sister? What reality have you sent us to? And what do you want with us?"  
"So many questions," the demon tutted. "Gracious. You're very sure of yourself, aren't you? Then again, you are the eldest sister. You're supposed to set the example. Do you mind if I sit down?"  
Without waiting for a reply, the demon made a casual gesture with one shriveled, skeletal hand; and a simple, wooden, three-legged jointstool appeared out of nowhere just beside him. He settled himself on it with an exaggerated motion.  
"Oh, that's better," he sighed contentedly, placing his clawlike hands on his knees. "Now then, what was your first question again?"  
Prue gritted her teeth. "Where is Phoebe?"  
"I honestly have no idea."  
"What did you do to her?"  
"Your sister already asked that question, and I have already answered. I have done nothing whatever to your precious sister Phoebe."  
"I don't believe you."  
"Why don't you stop taunting them, and just answer the damn question?" cut in an angry male voice.  
Standing just behind Andy and Leo, Cole Turner had barely managed to make it to his feet, and clearly it was all he could do to hold himself upright.  
"Ahh, Belthazor!" The demon seemed utterly delighted to see Turner. "I'm astonished to see you're still alive."  
"I am, no thanks to you."  
"This is splendid, splendid. This means I can torture you a while longer, before I put an end to your miserable, traitorous existence. But first, I must sincerely thank you."  
"Thank me?" Despite his injuries, Turner looked genuinely surprised at the statement.  
"I could never have achieved this marvelous victory without your help."  
"What marvelous victory?" Paige asked, inching forward slightly.  
The demon raised a hand in warning, and Paige shrank back. "Ah-ah!" He growled. "Come no closer. There are still three of you, after all. And while you cannot vanquish me, you could certainly do me harm. Don't make me nervous. It's in your own best interest. I would hate to do something I might regret."  
"Don't give us that crap," Piper snarled. "You're just going to kill us anyway."  
"No," the demon protested. "I only want your powers. Whether you are alive or dead afterwards is entirely up to you."  
Paige regarded the demon briefly; then, making a decision, got down on her knees.  
"Paige, what are you doing?" Piper hissed.  
"You want to see us beaten and cowering, fine," Paige said to the demon in a shaking voice. "I admit it. I'm scared of you. Whether or not you can read minds, you can see how scared I am. You win. So. Please tell us what happened to our sister Phoebe."  
The demon smiled happily. "There. You see?" He cooed. "That wasn't so hard, was it? All you had to do was show a little courtesy, a little respect, and everything you ask for will be granted. I did nothing to your sister, child. Not directly. But when she cast her spell, I put the magical equivalent of a trip wire in her way. She has been deflected from her intended destination, and has gone caroming off to who knows where. With any luck at all, she will remain forever lost, passing through an endless series of alternate universes, never to find her true home again. And now that I know how she travels between realities, I can find the means to duplicate her spell for my own use."  
"You monster," Prue spat acidly.  
"Thank you," the demon responded, obviously taking Prue's invective as a compliment. "I've worked hard to become so. Will you not kneel, like your sister?"  
"I am _not_ going to grovel in front of you," Prue said flatly.  
The demon regarded her with a slight smile. "We'll see about that," he said quietly. "At any rate, until you show me the proper respect owed to my office, I cannot answer any of your questions."  
Enraged, Turner pushed past Prue, Leo and Andy. But he did not rush the demon, as everyone expected. Instead, he grabbed Paige by the arm, and rather viciously pulled her to her feet.  
"OW!" Paige cried out in pain. "That hurts!"  
"Never bow to him," Turner scolded her in an angry voice. "Never kneel before him. It's not worth your life. Or your immortal soul."  
"Why, Belthazor," the demon sighed with deep disappointment. "Do I take it, then, you have renounced your demon heritage entirely?"  
"You used me," Turner seethed.  
"Well, of course I did."  
"But you made a mistake. You took away the one person I cared about."  
"Belthazor, I really had no idea you could be so ... sentimental."  
"You could have swayed me, through Phoebe," Turner admitted. "For her sake, I would have done anything you asked. But you have taken her away from me. You have taken her away from both her families. Therefore I will do whatever it takes to thwart you."  
The demon snorted contemptuously. "You are foolish indeed, to pledge your enmity to The Source."  
"You could have had my loyalty for nothing. All you had to do was give me Phoebe. The rest would have been yours for the asking."  
The demon nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps I have ... miscalculated," he allowed. "And it is true, you have served me well. I think I might owe you some recompense after all."  
He made the slightest gesture with one hand, and an energy bolt, like a crackle of lightning, struck Turner full in the chest, lifted him up, and sent him sailing headlong through the air, back into the living room. There was a sickening crash as he landed. The others stared at the demon, aghast.  
"A quick and painless death," The Source declared, but it seemed as if he was speaking to himself. "No demon is owed that. But in this instance I will make an exception."  
Prue turned to Leo. "Help him," she pleaded.  
"Prue, I can't -"  
"You can't help us. Not here. Not against him. Help Cole," she nodded in the direction where Turner's body had gone. "Please, Leo."  
Clearly against his better judgement, Leo Wyatt turned and left the foyer.  
"Andy, go with him." Prue knew this an utterly transparent attempt to get Trudeau out of the line of fire; but, close to real panic, Prue couldn't think of anything else. Andy Trudeau shook his head emphatically.  
"I'm staying with you."  
"Andy -"  
"Prue, don't argue with me. I'm staying." His voice lowered, intending only Prue to hear. "Because if we're really going to do this, then it means we always stick together. No matter what. For better, or worse."  
Prue started to reply, but stopped herself. She stared at Trudeau admiringly, her love for him overwhelming her anger and fear.  
"For richer, for poorer?" The demon mused in a mocking voice. "In sickness and in health? And let's not forget my favorite line. Till death do you part."  
He gestured again, and an energy bolt struck both Prue and Trudeau, smacking them both to the floor, where they lay still and unmoving. Paige screamed in terror and buried her face in Piper's shoulder.  
"And then there were two," the demon gloated. Leo Wyatt appeared in the doorway, a horrified look on his face. As he started to kneel down to check on Prue, the demon held him fast with an energy wave.  
"White Lighter, begone!" he hissed with genuine anger. "Lest I decide to cut my losses here and now, and leave you with nothing but corpses!"  
Leo stood where he was, half-crouched; he was not magically restrained, but he didn't dare advance further, if there was to be any chance to save Prue.  
"Your sister is not dead," the demon assured Piper and Paige. "I grant you, she won't feel very well when she wakes. But left alone, without further harm, she will live."  
"Please don't kill her," Paige sobbed.  
"Dear child, I have no wish to end any of your lives," the demon said forthrightly. "Your deaths do not serve my purpose. You can have your sister back, safe and well, if you wish it."  
"If we give up our powers to you," Piper said grimly.  
"Yes!" The demon seemed to become more agreeable in his excitement. "Why is this so difficult for you? You have attempted to give up your powers once before, and I know you do not wish to keep them, even now." He finally stood up and made a pleading gesture, which seemed all the more obscene because of his aspect. "Surrender your powers to me," he said, "And I hereby swear, with all the forces of light and darkness as witness, that your days shall be untroubled, marred not by demon, sorcerer, warlock or any other. Magic will be forever removed from your existence. You will be free to live the lives of your own choosing."  
Leo Wyatt opened his mouth to warn the sisters, and the demon whirled upon him. "Speak, and she dies," he vowed, pointing at Prue's helpless body.  
With great misgiving, Leo closed his mouth. The Source turned back to the two terrified sisters, trembling in each other's arms.  
"Well, then?" He pressed. "What shall it be? Will you choose to live, free of magic and fear, or shall all your lives end now?"  
As the demon leered at the sisters, a loud disturbance could be heard coming from the direction of the attic - a rush of wind and the clattering of small objects thrown about in its wake. Piper and Paige knew the source of that sound only too well - a portal between worlds had been opened. They stared first at each other, as if to confirm what the other was thinking, then involuntarily they both looked up at the ceiling. The Source of All Evil, seeing their reaction, flew into a white rage.  
"NO!" He shouted. "She _can't_ have returned! It's not possible!"  
Swinging his arms wide, he vanished into a stream of inky, oily-black smoke, which immediately snaked up the stairwell in the direction of the attic. No sooner had the last tendril vanished up the staircase than a diffuse cloud of tiny white lights appeared immediately in front of Piper and Paige. As the sisters watched in stupefied amazement, dark-haired Paige Matthews, a good head shorter than any of her sisters, materialized from the light.  
"Whew! That was close," she sighed. "Hey, Piper. Hey, me."  
"Hey, me," the taller, red-haired Paige greeted her doppelgänger.  
"Paige, how on earth did you get here? Where's Phoebe?" Piper asked.  
"Questions later," Paige cut Piper off before she could react further. "We've got about four seconds before half-a-face decides to snake his ugly butt back down here, and we've got to be ready." She dug into her coat pocket. "Where's Prue?"  
Distraught, red-haired Paige simply pointed to where Prue and Andy Trudeau lay unconscious on the floor. Leo Wyatt was already kneeling over them, desperately applying his healing power, laying a hand on each of their foreheads.  
"Oh, crap," dark-haired Paige shuddered. "Okay, sisters, one crisis at a time. I have a spell with me-" she pulled a small paper from her pocket and quickly unfolded it. "It's a power of three spell to vanquish the Source. I just hope it will work with two Paiges and a Piper." Before her otherworldly siblings could ask, she added quickly, "Sorry. I'm the only cavalry you've got. Phoebe's still lost in time and space, and Prue's busy pushing out our new niece even as we speak."  
Just as Paige finished her breathless explanation, The Source of All Evil re-materialized right in front of them. He stared at the smaller, darker Paige in obvious bafflement.  
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.  
"Hi, there," Paige gave him her sweetest smile. "I'm a Charmed One from an alternate universe, and I've come here to give you a very special present. Now, you guys!"  
The three sisters huddled together and read aloud from the paper that Paige held out in front of her. _"Patricia, Penelope, Melinda, Astrid, Helena, Laura and Grace,"_ they intoned. _"Halliwell witches stand strong beside us, vanquish this Evil from time and space!"_  
For a moment, nothing happened. The demon actually took to looking behind him, but there was no disturbance whatever in the atmosphere. He turned back to face the witches, bemused.  
"Was that supposed to do something?" he asked.  
"It didn't work," Piper said, dismayed.  
The smaller, dark-haired Paige caught her sister's arm. "Hang on," she warned.  
Rising up out of the floor came tendrils of black smoke, circling the demon's feet. He looked down, clearly confused.  
"What? What is this?"  
The tendrils sprang up around the demon, like angry vines; and wherever they brushed against his robes or skin, they stuck, and began to spread more, smaller tendrils like tiny roots across the surface of the demon's body where they attached themselves. He began to thrash wildly in an effort to escape.  
"No! This cannot be!" he bellowed.  
In a matter of seconds, the demon was engulfed in constricting black bands, which tightened around him, shrinking, squeezing, until with a sudden 'pop' of imploding air, tendrils and demon vanished altogether.  
"Did we kill him?" Piper asked. "Please tell me we killed him."  
Dark-haired Paige didn't answer. The moment the demon vanished, she stepped across the threshold, knelt beside Prue and assisted Leo with her own healing gifts. Prue drew in a sharp breath as she returned to consciousness.  
"Hey, sweetie," she sighed with relief. "You're back with us. Thank God." She left a quick kiss on her sister's forehead, then scrambled to Andy Trudeau's side and helped him slowly sit up. "Easy, handsome," she murmured. "That was one nasty blow you took. Don't try to move yet."  
"What the hell happened?" Trudeau managed to ask, his voice choked and rasping.  
"Demon tried to kill you," Paige said simply, still applying her healing powers to his head and neck. "He failed."  
Trudeau looked around him in obvious bewilderment. "Paige? Why are there two of you?"  
He forgot his question the moment he saw Prue, who was also being helped up to a sitting position by Leo Wyatt.  
"Prue," he murmured, pulling her close. He kissed her cheek and then hugged her tightly to him. "You okay?"  
"I am now," Prue managed to rasp.  
"Leo, you got this?" Paige asked, and the handsome young White Lighter grinned at her.  
"Yeah, I got this, Paige. Thanks."  
"Okay, then," Paige stood up. "Am I right in thinking you've a hunky, half-dead, half-demon laying around the house somewhere?"  
"Living room," Piper pointed.  
Paige stepped past Leo, who was still applying additional healing to Prue and Andy, and found Cole Turner, more dead than alive, laying in a heap on the far side of the room. She knelt down beside him.  
"Cole Turner, I presume," she said.  
Turner, despite his injuries, looked up at Paige in bewilderment. "Paige? You're not Paige - are you?"  
"I'm a Paige Matthews from an alternate universe," Paige introduced herself, as if this sort of explanation were an everyday occurrence. "I guess you could say I'm Charmed both here and there. And you're the demon lawyer who's got the hots for my sister Phoebe."  
"If you're going to vanquish me, get on with it," Turner grimaced.  
"Actually, I came here to heal you," Paige said. "But only if that's what you want."  
"You can't heal me. I'm half demon."  
"Yeah, and all stupid, from what I hear. Never mind that. I have here-" she took a small vial from her coat pocket and held it out in front of him so he could see, "A potion and a spell that will safely separate your human half from your demon half. And once you're fully human, I can use my White Lighter powers to heal you."  
"What?"  
"You heard me. Your demonic aspect is dying, Cole. It's the Titanic, and it's just rammed that big ol' iceberg. And if you stay tethered to that aspect, you'll die, too. But you don't have to die. You have the option to go on living - as a human."  
"By the Pit," Turner choked. "The prophecy. But I thought -"  
"Yeah, well, it's not just us lowly mortals who jump to conclusions, huh? You thought my sister Phoebe was gonna be the one to shred your soul. Turns out, it was her baby sister - me - who gets to do the nasty. Life's a slow burn, ain't it?"  
Turner cast his gaze heavenward. "I'm a fool," he moaned.  
"You won't get any arguments from me," Paige retorted. "The only question now is, do you wanna be a dead fool, or a live one?"  
As Turner lay where he fell, dumbfounded, Paige added, "You haven't got all day, Cole."  
"I'm thinking," the demon grunted angrily.  
"Look, for whatever this is worth, Phoebe seems to like you - God knows why. She's spoken for, but maybe not permanently, and we still need to get her back from whatever alternate universe she's tumbled into. I can't speak for her taste in men, but ... if you were human ... I'd let you date my sister."  
Cole Turner looked up at Paige, the tiniest flicker of hope in his bloodied eyes. "You would?"  
"Yeah," Paige agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Mind you, if you do anything less than worship the ground she walks on, every single day, I'll orb your manhood into a pool of piranha fish."  
Turner managed a feeble grin. "That won't be a problem."  
"Okay, then. Ready to be magically emasculated?"  
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you," Turner grumbled.  
"I'm not," Paige protested. "I don't even know you. But I'll say this. As long as you treat my sister well, you'll never have any problems with me."  
Turner nodded slowly, giving in. "Do it."  
Paige stood up. "All right," she said solemnly, raising the vial. "Brace yourself."  
"There will be pain?"  
"I said it would be safe. I didn't say it wouldn't hurt."  
Paige threw the vial down on the floor, breaking it open only inches from the demon's face.  
_"Yin and Yang are now undone,"_ she chanted, in a voice so soft it was almost under her breath. _"Let the accursed be uncursed. Shallow waters once deep and wide, let good and evil now divide. Let the carapace be rent, restore this mortal flesh that's spent."_  
As Paige spoke the words, she slowly raised her arms up away from her sides, spreading her fingers wide. Smoke from the spilled liquid circled the demon's head, and he began to writhe in agony. Groaning in pain, Turner tried to roll away, but couldn't. As the smoke covered his form like a low-laying fog, the demon screamed once, then twice; he sat bolt upright, vomiting out a tongue of bright orange flame, then collapsed into a heap, sobbing piteously.  
Paige knelt down again and put her small hands across the demon's shoulders, her healing power coursing through him.  
"It's over," she whispered as Turner wept. "You made it. You're gonna be okay." She managed a subdued smile. "Welcome to your new mortal life."  
Once she was assured that Turner's condition was stable, Paige stood up. She turned to see her three sisters from another world all staring at her in amazement.  
"I had help," she said sheepishly, in response to their unspoken question. "And now, we need to see about getting Phoebe back home."  
"Yeah, but what about us?" Piper asked, finding her voice. "How the hell are _we_ supposed to get home?"  
"You _are_ home," Paige assured them.  
"Paige, have you looked outside?" Prue asked incredulously.  
Dark-haired Paige grinned at her sister. "You guys. It's an illusion," she assured them all. "The manor never moved. You're still in your San Francisco. Neither Belthazor nor the Source could move the house. They didn't know how. But they needed you to _think_ it had, so that Phoebe would cast her across-the-universe spell."  
Prue groaned in dismay. "Of course," she muttered. "The disciple of Mara, the antagonist of Enlightenment. The creator and caster of false visions."  
"Go on, take a look," Paige urged them. "The house is right back where it should be. And actually, it never left."  
The sisters approached the front door, and cautiously opened it. Prescott Street and its neighborhood were completely restored. Old manor houses sat placidly side-by-side on the tree-lined street, and a handful of cars and a cyclist rolled lazily past the front steps. With a sigh of relief, Piper closed the door. The crisis past, Piper fell into Leo's arms, and Prue and Andy enjoyed a mutual embrace.  
"How did you know to do all this?" she asked Paige. "How did you even know we were in any kind of trouble?"  
Dark-haired Paige grinned. "Well, I could say I'm just naturally brilliant - which is true, by the way - but no. I can't take credit for another sister's work. All of us have Phoebe to thank for the timely rescue, and for all the spells. I just did the mule work of casting them."  
"But - isn't Phoebe still lost out there, somewhere? In another universe?"  
"Yes, and we need to get her back," Paige nodded. She pulled another piece of folded paper from the hip pocket of her jeans. "Fortunately, wherever she was stranded, she managed to send me a message in a magical bottle."  
Prue frowned. "I don't understand."  
Paige shook her head. "I don't understand it, either," she confessed. "But our sister was smart enough to figure out how to write a bunch of spells into the Book of Shadows while being trapped in an alternate universe. If that doesn't qualify her to be the family super-witch, I don't know what does."  
"She wrote spells for you, and gave you a note to come to our rescue?"  
"Hey, it's just a good thing for you guys I orbed back to the apartment, after I dropped Prue at the hospital," Paige sighed. "I was going to pick up some maternity stuff I had packed for her. And that damn book was literally flying around through the air, and kept flapping itself in my face, until I picked it up and read it."  
"Okay, that's creepy," Piper decided.  
Paige shuddered. "You have _no_ idea."  
Prue looked wistful. "My other self is giving birth to her second daughter."  
"Yeah, and if we hurry up and get Phoebe back, we can all go meet her."  
She held out the paper.  
"There are two parts to this," she explained. "The first is a spell to open a portal that can scan through all the alternate universes. Works on basically the same principle as the Sister Phone. The second is your standard 'call a lost witch' spell, and I have Phoebe's hairbrush, so we make sure we get _our_ Phoebe back, and not someone else's Phoebe."  
"Yeah, two sets of sisters on two worlds is more than enough," Piper drawled. "No offense."  
Dark-haired Paige laughed merrily. "None taken. We all think one Phoebe is more than enough for us, right?"  
Red-haired Paige cast a dubious glance at Cole Turner, who was still curled up on the living room floor in a near fetal position. "And what do we do about him?"  
Prue regarded him somberly. "He is kind of our responsibility now."  
Piper's mouth fell open in shock. "What? Are you kidding me?"  
Prue shrugged. "He's not a demon any longer. And we're the ones who changed him. He's going to need help. But maybe, just maybe, if he gets that help from us, he could be a force for good instead of evil from now on."  
Leo Wyatt gave Prue a big grin. "You are going to be an amazing White Lighter," he assured her, and Prue felt her face flush with pride. 

* * *

Several hours later, in a considerably quieter household, Phoebe Halliwell was standing in the entryway to the living room, watching the newly-human Cole Turner sleeping soundly on the couch. Dark-haired Paige crept up beside her, taking careful note of the wistful look on Phoebe's face. Phoebe, hearing her approach, turned her head and gave her sister a subdued smile.  
"Hey, sweetie," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, so as not to disturb the sleeping man. "Thanks for coming to my rescue. Again."  
"My pleasure," Paige smiled. "You've done the same for me. More than once. Besides, you did all the hard work. All I had to do was show up and read off the teleprompter."  
"Don't sell yourself short," Phoebe admonished. "Piper says you were amazing."  
"I'm glad she thinks that," Paige said simply, not wanting to disclaim her own involvement any further; Phoebe would insist on arguing the point. "I'm just glad we've got you back."  
"So, the Source of All Evil is no more?"  
"All we did is knock off the current one," Paige sighed. "Sooner or later, there'll be another demon to take his place. Probably even worse than the last one was."  
"Well, we'll deal with him, too. When we have to."  
"With any luck, all the demons in Hell will spend all their time fighting each other trying to decide on a new Source, and leave the rest of us alone."  
"I certainly hope so."  
"Phoebe ... when you left us... where did you go?"  
Phoebe suppressed a shudder. "Somewhere... not nice," she said tersely. Paige waited a moment, but it was clear that Phoebe had no intentions of elaborating on her experience.  
"But - you're okay, right?" Paige asked anxiously. "You're not hurt, or anything?"  
Phoebe forced herself to smile. "I'm good," she promised.  
She took in a quick glance at the former demon. Although fully healed, Turner's body had been through a tremendous shock, and he had the deep, unconscious sleep of a hospital patient recovering from surgery.  
"He's gonna be okay," Paige whispered to her sister.  
"Thanks for saving him."  
"Look, this is none of my business," Paige said awkwardly. "But - you're not really into this guy - are you?"  
Phoebe's smile was distinctly sad. "I think maybe I am," she said reluctantly.  
"Come on, Phoebe, a couple of hours ago, he was a demon."  
"I know," Phoebe sighed.  
"He really believes there's no good in anyone. And he thinks if you try to be nice to somebody, you're just being stupid and naive."  
"That was the demon part of him. The human part of him isn't necessarily a lost cause."  
"Fat chance," Paige sniffed.  
Phoebe regarded her baby sister with a moue of irritation. "Sometimes, you're just like your other self," she chided. "Maybe _too_ much like your other self."  
"Yeah, whatever, Pheeble."  
Phoebe managed a placating smile; this wasn't a fight she wanted to start. "I just keep thinking, even when he was Belthazor, he sacrificed himself to warn us, and to protect me," she said. "He could have died. He probably thought that he was going to die. But he tried to protect us anyway. How can he be totally evil, if he's capable of doing something as selfless as that?"  
"Phoebe, you have a boyfriend," Paige reminded her sister sternly.  
"Yeah," Phoebe said sadly. "I do."  
"So, what are you going to do?"  
Phoebe gave her sister a helpless, despairing look. "I - don't know," she confessed.

Upstairs in Prue's bedroom, Prue and Piper were sitting across from each other on the wide bed.  
"You really want to do this?" Piper was asking. "So soon?"  
Prue gave her sister a subdued smile. "Yeah. Andy and I talked, and we both decided it's better not to wait. Especially after what happened today."  
"But can't you at least wait until we can get a reception together, or a bridal shower, or even a cake?" Piper protested. "This feels like you're eloping, not getting married."  
"Piper. It's okay. Really." Prue reached for her sister's hands and squeezed them tightly. "Andy's been married before, so he doesn't want to make a big deal out of it. As for me-" Prue paused for a moment. "I don't need the big production. I just want a quick, quiet ceremony, with my man and my sisters. Anything more than that is just window dressing. And besides," she added, giving her sister a big grin, "Once Andy and I have tied the knot, that paves the way for you and Leo to have _your_ wedding."  
"Yeah, well, I'm going to want all that window dressing you're throwing out," Piper retorted. "I _want_ the bridal shower. And the reception. And the church service. Even the damn cake. I want it to be The Big Deal. Because it is."  
Prue couldn't help laughing. "It sounds wonderful," she agreed. "And Phoebe and Paige and I will make sure it happens for you."  
"So, this means you're moving out." Piper couldn't hide either her anxiety or her disappointment.  
"Yeah," Prue answered, not without some reluctance - and some sadness. "We all agreed, when the time came, you'd get the manor. I think now's that time. Andy and I will probably stay at his apartment for now. I thought you and Leo could move into the master bedroom, it really should be yours anyway. That way, we can keep the other bedroom as a guest room, for when Andy and I stay over - or when Phoebe comes to visit."  
Seeing Piper's downcast expression, Prue ran her hand across her sister's cheek in a comforting gesture.  
"Hey," she said in a soft voice. "It's not like I'm moving to an alternate universe too, right? I'll be just a few blocks away - and as close as your phone."  
"I know," Piper sighed. "It's just - I was kind of getting used to us all being together."  
"We're still going to be together," Prue assured her. "Just not all shoehorned under one roof. And besides, you're still gonna be stuck with Paige, until she decides to move in with someone. And that day will come too. Sooner or later."  
Piper found herself blinking back tears. "I love you, Prue."  
Prue pulled her sister close into a tight hug. "I love you, Piper," she murmured. "With all my heart."  
There was a knock at the door. Prue and Piper looked up to see Phoebe standing in the doorway.  
"Hey, you guys. My Paige has orbed back home to San Francisco, and I thought we could-"  
She broke off abruptly, as she saw Piper in tears.  
"Is everything okay?" she asked with concern.  
"Everything's fine," Prue assured her.  
"Prue's getting married," Piper declared, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.  
Phoebe's eyes went wide. "You ARE?" she exclaimed. "And when were you going to tell me about this?"  
Prue grinned and patted her hand on the empty spot on her bed, inviting Phoebe to join them. "Come on up here."  
Phoebe clambered onto the bed beside her sisters.  
"Andy and I talked about this last night, and we decided it's time."  
"Prue, that's wonderful!" Phoebe bestowed an exuberant hug on her sister.  
"She doesn't want a ceremony," Piper complained.  
"What? Why not?" Phoebe frowned.  
"You guys, please, I really don't want to make a big deal out of this," Prue pleaded. "I'm not comfortable with the whole big production number approach. Andy and I are going to talk to Pastor Williams and arrange to have a small service at the church, as soon as possible."  
"Prue, we've got to at least get you into a nice dress," Phoebe protested. "And Piper and I need bridesmaid dresses."  
"And don't forget Paige," Piper added.  
"Yeah, about that," Prue grimaced slightly. She turned to Phoebe. "I do want to invite both your Prue and Paige to attend, too. But I guess I would understand, if Prue doesn't want to come."  
"I'll certainly invite them," Phoebe nodded. "But, yeah. Even if Prue hadn't just had a kid, I don't think she'd be too comfortable watching her other self marrying her late husband."  
"I'm sure she understands that this Andy Trudeau isn't her Andy Trudeau. But I'm still worried it might be painful for her."  
"I'll ask her," Phoebe promised.  
"Thanks." Prue's face brightened. "And once Andy and I get back from our honeymoon, then we can help Piper start planning for her wedding."  
Phoebe's mouth fell open. "Are you getting married too?" she asked Piper.  
Piper held up a hand, laughing. "Let's deal with one wedding at a time. Please."

Downstairs in the living room, red-haired Paige was sitting across from the sleeping Cole Turner, a thoughtful expression on her face. Leo Wyatt came into the room.  
"How's he doing?" he asked, in a near-whisper.  
"Okay," Paige answered. She stood up and walked over to where Leo was standing, so they could talk without disturbing Turner. "Considering he's just had all the evil sucked out of him, which he's had his entire life. That's gotta be one hell of a shock. No pun intended."  
Leo nodded thoughtfully. "And how are _you_ doing?"  
Paige regarded him for a long moment before answering.  
"You were right," she said at last. "What you said before. About me giving up my powers."  
"Oh, Paige." Leo tried to hide his dismay. "I tried to warn you."  
"I know." Paige sighed sadly. She wasn't crying, but her eyes were tear-bright. "We could have died today. All of us. And there was absolutely nothing I could do to help. And then the other me shows up, and she single-handedly rescued the entire family from the most powerful demon on the planet." Paige shook her head in self-recrimination. "If I still had my powers, I could have done something. Instead, I was useless. And that was my fault. And if anyone had died today, that would have been my fault too, wouldn't it?"  
She looked pleadingly at Leo, but the White Lighter made no answer.  
"You were right. It's a punishment. I've hurt myself, and I've hurt my family. And I would give anything, just to be able to help people again. To have the power to make things right. Or at least to give someone comfort, if nothing else."  
Leo mulled over his answer for a long moment. "Regret is always painful," he said carefully. "But, sometimes it can be a good first step, Paige. It can help put you back on the right path. I'm pretty sure that when you have your opportunities in the future, you won't make the same mistakes."  
"No, I'll just make even bigger ones." Paige grimaced. "I'm sorry. I'm really trying to stop with the whole self-pity thing, honest. It doesn't help anyone, not even me."  
"No, it doesn't," Leo agreed. "And I'm glad you recognize that." He gave her an encouraging smile. "I think you'll find, when you're really ready, that you'll have another chance to prove yourself."  
"You mean, I can be a White Lighter again?" she asked hopefully.  
"I think, for right now, you've realized that you made a mistake, and you should spend your time trying to fix it," Leo admonished her gently.  
"Yeah. You're right." Paige nodded tearfully. "I'm going to need help, Leo," she confessed. "Lots and lots of help."  
"You'll have it," Leo promised. "That's what I'm here for."  
Paige hugged the young man tightly. "My guardian angel," she sighed gratefully.

* * *

The following Saturday afternoon, on a cold and blustery day that was exactly one week before Prue's twenty-ninth birthday, Prudence Halliwell and Andy Trudeau got married.  
In a short, intimate ceremony at the All Saints Church, Pastor Williams presided over the exchanging of traditional vows and rings; the congregation, in its entirety, consisted of Prue's sisters Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and another "Paige" who looked suspiciously like a twin of the first; Leo Wyatt; Darryl Morris as Andy's best man, and Andy Trudeau's mother and father, who were only too delighted to see their son marrying his childhood sweetheart.  
At Piper's shrill insistence, after the formal ceremonies had been observed, the happy couple retired for a slightly more inclusive gathering of family and friends at the restaurant called Quake, where Piper had arranged to have a little more than half the restaurant cordoned off for a private party. Part of the floor had been cleared away to allow for dancing. One of Piper's friends brought a sound system and served as impromptu deejay, and several others volunteered to put up festive decorations. Prue admitted later that maybe she'd been wrong, and it was nice to have a modest celebration, after all.  
At one point, Paige sidled up to Piper, professing her admiration for having put together such a successful function with next to no notice.  
"I'm telling you, Piper, you need to open your own club," she declared solemnly.  
Piper looked down her nose at her sister. "Don't start with that again," she sighed.  
"You should think about it, that's all. With your gift for organizing? You'd be a natural."  
"Paige, do you have any idea how expensive it would be just to _open_ a nightclub? Or how much of a financial risk we would be taking? And it would be 'we', as in, all of us."  
"Can't be any worse than you opening your own restaurant," Paige shot back.  
"Don't you have a girlfriend you're supposed to be cuddling, or something?" Piper demanded. "Go on! SHOO!" She waved her sister away playfully, and then rolled her eyes at Leo Wyatt.  
"I can't believe I'm related to her, some days," she sighed.  
"But she has been a blessing for the whole family, hasn't she?" Leo grinned.  
"Yes, she has," Piper admitted, burrowing into his arms. "We'd be lost without her. Now, shut up and kiss me."

In a secluded corner booth of the restaurant, newlyweds Andy and Prudence Trudeau were contentedly sipping champagne, nibbling cake and accepting well wishes from family and friends - when they weren't busy kissing and nuzzling one another. When a brief, quiet moment came upon them, Andy Trudeau glanced around them with a bemused smile.  
"We told your sisters that we were getting married in a week," he marveled. "And they still managed to conjure up all this, out of the blue."  
"Haven't you heard?" Prue grinned. "We're magic."  
"All the same, it's really nice of them to go to all that trouble - and it's amazing what they pulled off."  
"They did a nice job, didn't they?" Prue had to agree. "I suppose we could have given them more time. But I'm not sorry we didn't wait." She gave her husband a sad smile. "Life is so damn short, isn't it?"  
"I hope you're not worried I'm going to die on you, like, well, you know. The other Andy."  
Prue shook her head. "No. But after I met my other self, I saw how rich her life was, for taking those risks. I'm starting to realize that all the real regrets I'd have in life would be the things I _didn't_ do. And it wouldn't matter what excuse I made, because that's all it would be in the end, really." She gave Andy a quick kiss. "I want to spend this lifetime with you," she declared solemnly. "No matter how long or short it is. Living without you is the one regret I do not want."  
Andy Trudeau kissed his wife passionately.  
"All the same, I do wish we had a better honeymoon option than the Calistoga spa," he said. "It seems a little-"  
"Ah-ah!" Prue shushed him. "Andy. It's okay. I think it's wonderful. I think _you're_ wonderful." She gave him her most radiant smile. "No matter where we are, as long as I'm with you, it's going to be fine."  
"Just remember you said that," Andy warned her playfully.  
Prue clasped his hand. "Come on," she said, her dusky voice dropping low. "Let's have a slow dance. Mr. Trudeau."  
"Absolutely... Mrs. Trudeau." 

It was nearly two in the morning on Sunday when Phoebe and Paige finally returned to their San Francisco; yet after only four hours of sleep, they were both up again, showered quickly and headed to Prue's apartment, to see their new niece.  
Despite being bleary-eyed and exhausted from the previous evening's revelries, both their faces lit up when they entered the apartment, and saw Prue on the couch, swaddled in blankets, a new baby girl in her arms.  
"Ohh," Phoebe almost moaned with delight as she took the seat next to Prue. "There's my sweet girl!" She kissed her sister on the cheek. Prudence Morris looked tired, but she was smiling radiantly. "You doing okay, mom?" Phoebe asked with concern.  
"Doing just fine," Prue assured her. "But I'm very glad that the 'Auntie Posse' is finally home. We could really use your help around here."  
"Whatever you need," Paige assured her, swallowing a yawn. "You guys settled on a name yet?"  
"We have," Prue answered, very carefully transferring the sleeping infant into Phoebe's anxiously awaiting arms. "Sisters, say hello to Penelope Jane Morris."  
"Hello, Penelope Jane Morris," Phoebe cooed, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm your Auntie Phoebe... Oh, Prue, she's so beautiful!"  
"So you went with 'Penny' after all," Paige grinned, leaning over the couch, awaiting her turn.  
"Well, with Patience, we already have a 'Patty', so yeah, now mom and Gram's names will both be carrying on for the next generation."  
"And where is my little cuddle fish?" Paige asked, looking around for Prue's soon to be five year old daughter.  
"With Darryl. They're picking up coffee and pastries. We figured you guys probably didn't sleep much, so they're out getting the good jet fuel stuff from the bakery down the street."  
"Awesome," Paige nodded approvingly. "You guys are always looking out for us."  
"Mmm. Well, now you get to return the favor," Prue grinned. "Having one kid almost ready for kindergarten, and another just arrived, I need all the help I can get." Her smile turned wistful. "What you did was very brave," she said to Phoebe in a quiet voice.  
Phoebe looked up from Penny's angelic face. Her face was wet with tears. "I just wanted to get home," she said simply.  
"Well, then, welcome home, Phoebe Halliwell," Prue gave her sister her most radiant smile. "We really missed you."

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... And they all lived happily ever after. Man, that was a tough slog, wasn't it? If anyone bothered to read along this far, I humbly thank you from the bottom of my heart. I really had no idea when I started out that I was going to end up with twenty-seven of these stories, basically three "seasons" worth of material, from the tiny germ of an idea that was "The Sister Who Came Back From The Dead". Every single time I thought I was done with the Halliwells, they kept poking and prodding me to continue, and it really does seem sometimes like they cast a spell over me. But now we've reached a point where we can let Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige ride triumphantly off into the sunset, with their husbands, lovers, friends and children safely in tow. There may be one or two loose threads out there, but certainly nothing you can't resolve in your own minds to your own satisfaction. Thank you so much for taking this magic carpet ride with me. It didn't end up anywhere close to where I intended - these things never do - but hopefully there was still a lot to enjoy along the way. I mean, damn. Those Halliwell sisters. How can you _not_ love each and every one of them? 
> 
> ... eh? What's that? Phoebe and Cole? Uhh... ahh... well... (nervously clears throat) that will have to be a story for another day. Maybe :P


End file.
